Anomalous scaling of branching tidal networks in global coastal wetlands and mudflats

Branching networks are key elements in natural landscapes and have attracted sustained research interest across the geosciences and numerous intersecting fields. The prevailing consensus has long held that branching networks are optimized and exhibit fractal properties adhering to power-law scaling relationships. However, tidal networks in coastal wetlands and mudflats exhibit scaling properties that defy conventional power-law descriptions, presenting a longstanding enigma. Here we show that the observed atypical scaling represents a universal deviation from an ideal fractal branching network capable of fully occupying the available space. Using satellite imagery of tidal networks from diverse global locations, we identified an inherent “laziness” in this deviation—where the increased ease of channel formation paradoxically decreases the space-filling efficiency of the network. We developed a theoretical model that reproduces the ideal fractal branching network and the laziness phenomenon. The model suggests that branching networks can emerge under a localized competition principle without adhering to conventionally assumed optimization-driven processes. These results reveal the dual nature of branching networks, where “laziness” complements the well-known optimization process. This property provides more flexible strategies for controlling tidal network morphogenesis, with implications for coastal management, wetland restoration, and studies in fluvial and planetary systems.