Global sediment transport intermittency is set by river planform

Patterns of water and sediment flux in rivers are key to understanding landscape responses to environmental change. Quantifying water intermittency in rivers (from perennial to ephemeral) provides vital context for interpreting long-term hydrographs and flood frequency, yet controls on corresponding sediment intermittency are poorly understood due to measurement challenges. We present the first global dataset quantifying both water and sediment intermittency in >300 river reaches across all climate zones. Results reveal water and sediment intermittency are decoupled worldwide: sediment intermittency is primarily controlled by river planform (R^2=0.47,