Tropical cyclone‐induced estuarine destratification and protracted recovery

Abstract Estuarine stratification regulates nutrient cycling and ecosystem dynamics, yet its resilience to extreme meteorological events remains poorly understood. Here, we combine high‐resolution observations and numerical modeling to capture the full‐cycle physical response of an estuary to a summer typhoon. Results show that within 48 h, vigorous vertical mixing driven by typhoon wind stress erased salinity‐driven stratification and homogenized the water column. A salinity budget reveals vertical mixing as the dominant destratification mechanism. Following the typhoon, the system entered a prolonged recovery exceeding 7 d, during which gradually re‐established stratification. Notably, we document significant decoupling in recovery timescales: surface freshwater plume signatures began recovering within days, whereas bottom water property shifts lagged by ~ 6 d. This depth‐dependent recovery underscores that estuarine restoration after extreme mixing is a multi‐stage process. It improves understanding of estuarine stratification responding to and recovering from tropical cyclones, and highlights the importance of considering depth‐dependent recovery processes when assessing post‐storm estuarine conditions.