All experiments in 5-100 mM NaCl (see datasets in the Zenodo repository) showed similar optoelectrochemical patterns: Period 1 with passive film growth ending in breakdown, and Period 2 with pit growth dynamics. Note that although Period 2 could be partitioned into sub-periods according to current density patterns in Figure , we deliberately chose not to perform this subdivision. Instead, we concentrated on the comprehensive analysis of Period 1 in the present study. The dynamics of preformed pits during Period 2 will be addressed in our upcoming work.