Fig. 4: Impact of tropical cyclones on the sea surface salinification of Changjiang River Plume.
From: Widespread sea surface salinification induced by tropical cyclones over the Changjiang River Plume
a Tropical cyclone tracks that influenced the Changjiang River Plume region (represented by a black box) in July and August from 2015 to 2022. The box range is 28°N–35°N and 120°E–127°E. b–d Spatial patterns of SSS increase induced by three representative tropical cyclones. Solid lines with dots denote tropical cyclone tracks. +1 psu contours are presented, and the maximum value of the SSS increase is labeled on the top-left corner of each panel. e Time series of averaged sea surface salinity (SSS) in the Changjiang River Plume from satellite data. Shaded gray areas denote July and August of each year. Red stars on the x-axis denote tropical cyclones influencing the Changjiang River Plume region in July and August. Blue bars denote rainfall anomalies over the Changjiang River valley. f Simulated SSS in July and August each year with (red line) and without tropical cyclones (black line), and SSS difference between model experiments without and with tropical cyclones (blue line). The maximum SSS differences are labeled. Note that no simulated SSS and its differences are shown in 2016 since no tropical cyclones passed.
