The 2015/2016 super El Niño event resulted in a positive precipitation anomaly during dry seasons in the Jiulong River watershed, southeast China. Four years (2014-2017) of high frequency, in situ humic-like fluorescent DOM (FDOM H) data in the Jiulong Estuary were coupled with extrapolation to a freshwater end-member FDOM H concentration and river discharge data to estimate riverine FDOM H export. The wetter El Niño dry season was followed by lower FDOM H export during the subsequent wet season. Furthermore, in the dry season after El Niño reached its strongest phase, a 90-187% increase in FDOM H export occurred. If widespread, this pattern suggests El Niño events may enhance export of FDOM H from south China rivers in dry seasons resulting in seasonal and annual shunting of the terrestrial DOM export, modulating coastal carbon cycling. This study highlights the need to incorporate climate-driven regulation patterns on DOM transport across the land-ocean interface.