Model and validation data presented in Payo Payo et al, Multiscale Temporal Response of Salt Intrusion to Transient River and Ocean Forcing (JGR-Oceans, 2021, submitted). We used a 3-dimensional unstructured hydrodynamic model 3-dimensional unstructured hydrodynamic model (FVCOM Finite Volume Community Ocean Model)understand river and tide forcing to disentangle the multiscale temporal pattern of salt intrusion in estuaries subject to transient forcing due to river and tide. We implemented the Pearl River Delta as a case study for 2007/2008. The dataset consists of: ·Measured and modelled salinity and elevation data at the validation stations. ·River discharge data ·SSH data ·Salt intrusion length