Continental freshwater discharge influences sea surface salinity variability near world’s megadeltas
| dc.contributor.author | Khadim, Fahad K. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Getirana, Augusto | |
| dc.contributor.author | Bindlish, Rajat | |
| dc.contributor.author | Kumar Biswas, Nishan | |
| dc.contributor.author | Nie, Wanshu | |
| dc.contributor.author | Lahmers, Timothy M. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Kumar, Sujay V. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-01-08T15:08:30Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-01-08T15:08:30Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-12-03 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Sea surface salinity (SSS) is a key parameter in the thermohaline circulation of global oceans. Near the megadeltas, inland streamflow through large catchments plays a crucial role in mediating salinity. While some regional studies have investigated how SSS is impacted through water cycle and climate components, a global scale quantification of inland streamflow contribution on SSS variability is lacking. Here, we utilized remote sensing and observation-driven datasets to quantify the statistical associations between SSS and streamflow (Qbasin) at 48 megadeltas worldwide. This study uncovers a robust negative association between Qbasin and SSS, with correlation coefficients R less than -0.6 for seasonal data found in 26 of the 48 megadeltas, and less than -0.4 for deseasoned data in 21 megadeltas. The anticorrelation relationship is more pronounced in large deltas, particularly near tropical climates and in river-influenced deltas. The study also underscores the significant roles of climate, morphological, and anthropogenic stratification in impacting the natural influence of freshwater discharge on SSS. By highlighting the interconnected impacts of alterations in terrestrial water cycle upstream and SSS, this work contributes to enhancing our understanding of global ocean and climate circulation patterns and in tackling environmental issues pertaining to marine ecosystems. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Research was sponsored by the NASA Postdoctoral Program through a contract with Oak Ridge Affiliated Universities. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the NASA or the US Government. The US Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Government purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation herein. Global streamflow was computed and made available through NASA’s Earth Information System. Computing resources supporting this work were provided by the NASA HighEnd Computing Program through the NASA Center for Climate Simulation at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | |
| dc.description.uri | https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2412551121 | |
| dc.format.extent | 7 pages | |
| dc.genre | journal articles | |
| dc.identifier | doi:10.13016/m2cqdw-9fo8 | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Khadim, Fahad K., Augusto Getirana, Rajat Bindlish, Nishan Kumar Biswas, Wanshu Nie, Timothy M. Lahmers, and Sujay V. Kumar. “Continental Freshwater Discharge Influences Sea Surface Salinity Variability near World’s Megadeltas.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121, no. 49 (December 3, 2024): e2412551121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2412551121. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2412551121 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11603/37134 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.publisher | PNAS | |
| dc.relation.isAvailableAt | The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | UMBC GESTAR II | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | UMBC Faculty Collection | |
| dc.rights | This work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law. | |
| dc.rights | Public Domain | |
| dc.rights.uri | https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ | |
| dc.title | Continental freshwater discharge influences sea surface salinity variability near world’s megadeltas | |
| dc.type | Text | |
| dcterms.creator | https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3568-281X |