1 Introduction River management across the globe has evolved over time as community needs and priorities have shifted and as understandings of the effects of anthropogenic influences on biophysical values in rivers have developed. Despite such advancements, braided rivers continue to pose management challenges. Braided rivers are dynamically heterogeneous in multiple dimensions due to frequent flow variability and resultant bed mobility (Tockner et al. 2006; Harris et al. 2024).