Mean SST Research Articles

Increasing marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Thailand after the global warming hiatus

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) have been reported often throughout the world, producing severe effects on marine ecosystems. However, the spatial pattern and trend of MHWs in the Gulf of Thailand (GOT) is still unknown. Based on high-resolution daily satellite data over a 40-year period from 1982 to 2021, changes in annual mean SST and MHW occurrences across the GOT are explored here. The results demonstrate that during a warming hiatus (1998–2009), annual mean SST in the GOT encountered a dropping trend, followed by an increasing trend during a warming reacceleration period (2010–2021). Although a warming hiatus and a warming reacceleration occurred in the annual mean SST after 1998, regional averaged SSTs were still 0.18 °C–0.42 °C higher than that for 1982–1997. Statistical distributions reveal that there was a significant shift in both annual mean SSTs and annual extreme hot SSTs. These changes have the potential to increase the frequency of MHWs. Further analysis reveals that MHW frequency has increased at a rate of 1.11 events per decade from 1982 to 2021, which is 2.5 times the global mean rate. For the period 2010–2021, the frequency and intensity of MHWs in the GOT have never dropped, but have instead been more frequent, longer lasting and extreme than those metrics of MHWs between 1982 and 2009. Furthermore, the findings highlight significant changes in the SST over the GOT that may lead us to change or modify the reference period of the MHW definition. The findings also suggest that heat transport and redistribution mechanisms in the GOT sea are changing. This study contributes to our understanding of MHW features in the GOT and the implications for marine ecosystems.

MIS 5e sea surface temperature estimation; a multi-proxy approach using a marine macrofossil assemblage (Mar Piccolo, Gulf of Taranto, Southern Italy)

It is reported a multi-proxy palaeoclimatic study conducted on a MIS 5e calcarenite from the Mar Piccolo Basin (MP), Gulf of Taranto (GT) (Central Mediterranean). The calcarenite returned a rich malacofauna consisting of 120 extant species, including four of the tropical Senegalese Fauna, today absent in the Mediterranean. The biogeographic-climatic affinity of the assemblage shows, compared to today, a double percentage of warm affinity species, while the cold affinity species are nearly equally represented, indicating a warmer but not strictly tropical SST. This is confirmed by the most recurring preferred SST ranges of the assemblage, indicating an average of 20 °C. The skeletal compositions of five well-preserved molluscan and coral specimens were analyzed for trace elements and stable isotopes for further mean SST estimations. From the comparison of the results of several equations available in literature, it appears that only some SST estimations are realistic, converging into similar values of, on average, 20.8 ± 0.9 °C. Considering all the used proxies, the MIS 5e SST difference compared to today falls in the range 1.2–2.0 °C for the GT (being a more reasonable scenario) and 2.0–2.8 °C for the MP. This is not a firmly tropical-like SST setting as suggested by the sole Senegalese fauna, indicating at least 2.7 °C–3.5 °C more than today's GT and MP, respectively. The approximations and assumptions made for obtaining SST values with any single proxy indicate the need of a multi-proxy approach to define the best SST estimation.

Marine heatwaves intensification, expansion and departure into the permanent state over the Tropical Indian Ocean: A regional earth system model assessment

This study employed a regional earth system model, namely ROM over the CORDEX-SA domain, to investigate the future changes in the Marine heatwaves (MHWs) with respect to the historical baseline period (1976–2005) in the three time-slices, explicitly, near future (NRF; 2010–2039), middle future (MDF;2040–2069), and far future (FRF; 2070–2099) under two emission scenarios, Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). For the historical period, ROM showed a reasonable agreement with observed MHWs metrics and their trends and outperformed the forcing General Circulation Model and Multi-Model Ensemble of CMIP5 models. The future MHWs are expected to increase in intensity and duration. The continuous lengthening of MHWs duration leads to a permanent MHW state condition with strong spatial variability in its appearance. The first permanent MHW will emerge in both RCPs, while the absolute permanent MHW state is mainly visible in RCP8.5. The genesis and augmentation in the MHWs intensity is associated with local air-sea fluxes, however, in the long term, the increase in the mean SST in the future led to the rise of MHWs activity. The diagnosis of El Niño Southern Oscillation teleconnection and Indian Ocean Dipole on the MHWs is investigated. During the El Niño regime, not only did the proportion of the Tropical Indian Ocean experiencing MHWs increase but also an increase in the intensity is evident. IOD controls the MHWs metrics in the proximity of the western box and eastern box during its positive and negative phases.

Allograft Prosthesis Composite (APC) for Proximal Humeral Bone Loss: Outcomes and Perspectives.

(1) Background: Allograft prosthetic composite (APC) represents one of the techniques used for reconstruction in large proximal humeral bone deficits. The present systematic review aimed at summarizing the state of the art of the technique and analyzing its outcomes. (2) Methods: The PRISMA guidelines were followed to perform this systematic review. A systematic electronic search was performed using PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases. All the studies analyzing the rates of allograft prosthesis composite were pooled, and the data were extracted and analyzed. (3) Results: A total of 10 studies were eligible for inclusion in this systematic review for a total of 239 patients. The rate of patient satisfaction with surgery was reported in 7 studies with a mean of 86.4% ± 13.64. The mean constant score was 45.7 ± 3.51, the mean ASES score was 63.58 ± 8.37, and the mean SST was 4.6 ± 1.04. The mean revision rate observed was 10.32% ± 3.63 and the mean implant survival was 83.66% ± 14.98. (4) Conclusions: Based on the currently available data, allograft prosthesis composite represents a valuable option for the reconstruction of proximal humeral deficits. All studies analyzed showed the favorable impact of this surgical technique on clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.

Cenderawasih Hot Pool: The Frequent High Sea Surface Temperature Phenomena At Cenderawasih Bay, Papua

The term “warm pool” refers to a body of water with the characteristic of SST exceeding 28°C within a particular area and a relatively long period in an annual circle. However, there are regions with an annual mean SST measured above 30°C, and we classified them as hot pools because of the conditions of intense solar radiation and low wind speed. One of the Hot Pool spots was found in Indonesia, in Cenderawasih Bay. The present study examines the existence of the Cenderawasih Hot Pool using long-term observation of satellite SST data. In order to learn more about their mechanisms, we also analyzed surface wind, surface heat flux, and surface current data. The results show that SSTs in Cenderawasih Bay have a 50% chance of exceeding 30°C within the 13 years of study (2013-2015). Heat input comes from strong solar radiation, i.e., 50% of solar radiation is more than 200 W/m2. The location is also dominated by low wind speed, i.e., 80% wind speed of lower than 4 m/s, which caused the low latent loss in Cenderawasih Bay. Cenderawasih Bay is fully separated from surface currents during the dry and wet seasons since the easterly subsurface water flow does not enter the bay. The absence of strong currents prevents the mixing process, maintaining the high temperature in the surface layer. Those processes are discovered and they serve as compelling evidence to support Cenderawasih Bay as one of the Hot Pool areas within the Indonesian seas.

The effect of biceps tenotomy on superior humeral migration in arthroscopic repaired full-thickness supraspinatus tears

Lesions of the long head of the biceps (LHB) tendon are a prevalent injury that frequently coexists with rotator cuff injuries. This study aimed to assess the effect of supraspinatus (SST) repair with concurrent LHB tenotomy on superior migration of the humeral head. The acromiohumeral distance (AHD) was determined via ultrasound to evaluate the superior migration of the humeral head. The study population was retrospectively recruited from patients who underwent unilateral arthroscopic repair of isolated degenerative full-thickness SST tears between January 2017 and December 2019. Patients were divided into 2 subgroups based on whether they underwent LHB tenotomies during arthroscopy. While 37 patients underwent arthroscopic single-row SST repair, the other 33 patients underwent arthroscopic single-row SST repair with LHB tenotomy. The subject group consisted of people who had undergone arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Contralateral shoulders without rotator cuff injuries were included in the control group. The AHD and SST thicknesses of patients were examined via the ultrasound in both groups and subgroups. The mean age in the SST repair group was 55.52±4.58 years (range, 46-63 years), whereas it was 58.24±3.98 (range, 52-73 years) in the SST repair+LHB tenotomy group. In the SST repair group, 57.6% of patients were female and 42.4% were male, whereas 56.8% and 43.2% were in the SST repair+LHB tenotomy group, respectively. The mean body mass index was 28.06±1.31 kg/m2 (range, 25.7-31.2 kg/m2) in the SST repair group and 28.95±1.79 kg/m2 in the SST repair+LHB tenotomy group. Groups were not different for sex, surgery side, dominant side, tear size, and follow-up time; however, the SST repair+LHB tenotomy group had significantly higher mean age and body mass index than the SST repaired group. The mean AHD value and SST thickness were significantly less in both the rotator cuff repair group and the rotator cuff repair+LHB tenotomy group compared to the healthy shoulder. The mean AHD value was significantly lower in the SST repaired+LHB tenotomy group than in the SST repair group (P=.02). The AHD was narrowed in patients who underwent LHB tenotomy and radiologically demonstrated the depressor effect of the LHB tendon on the humeral head. As a secondary outcome, we demonstrated that regardless of tenotomy, AHD could not be restored in patients who underwent arthroscopic single-row SST repair.

Spatial Discrepancy of Hydrodynamics‐Driven Impacts on Organic Biomarkers Deposition and ′ and TEX86 Temperature Proxies Applications

AbstractThere is evidence that sedimentary organic matter is prone to lateral transport under hydrodynamic processes before its final deposition on the seafloor, restricting the applicability of molecular proxies. In this study, we examine the abundances of marine and terrestrial biomarkers in bulk and the grain‐size fractionated samples (<20, 20–63, and >63 μm fractions) from surface sediments in the South Yellow Sea to decipher the spatial influences of hydrodynamic processes on the biomarker distributions and molecule‐proxies' applications. Our results show that spatial deviations between proxies‐derived sea surface temperature (SST; the ′ and TEX86 indexes) and satellite‐derived annual mean SST may result from the lateral transportation of the alkenones and isoprenoid Glycerol Dialkyl Glycerol Tetraethers driven by dominated nearshore coastal currents. We propose a spatial‐SST correction approach to obtain more accurate SST information by removing the hydrodynamically introduced SST bias. Our investigations imply that hydrodynamic processes could be an important factor for controlling the spatial distribution of biomarkers in the ocean, further influencing the applications of biomarker‐based proxies for paleo‐environmental reconstruction. We suggest that this investigation would shed new light on the biogeochemical dynamics of sedimentary organic carbon pump in the shallow ocean, particularly in the passive continental marginal seas with strong hydrodynamic conditions.

Impact of Tropical Cyclone Wind Forcing on the Global Climate in a Fully Coupled Climate Model

Abstract Tropical cyclones (TCs) alter upper-ocean temperature and influence ocean heat content via enhanced turbulent mixing. A better understanding of the role of TCs within the climate system requires a fully coupled modeling framework, where TC-induced ocean responses feed back to the atmosphere and subsequently to the climate mean state and variability. Here, we investigate the impacts of TC wind forcing on the global ocean and the associated feedbacks within the climate system using the fully coupled Community Earth System Model version 1.3 (CESM1.3). Using the low-resolution version of CESM1.3 (1° atmosphere and ocean grid spacing) with no intrinsic TCs, we conduct a suite of sensitivity experiments by inserting TC winds extracted from a high-resolution (0.25° atmosphere grid spacing) TC-permitting simulation into the low-resolution model. Results from the low-resolution TC experiment are compared to a low-resolution control simulation to diagnose TCs’ impact. We found that the added TC winds can increase ocean heat content by affecting ocean vertical mixing, air–sea enthalpy fluxes, and cloud amount. The added TCs can influence mean SST, precipitation, ocean subsurface temperature, and ocean mixed layer depth. We found a strengthening of the wind-driven subtropical cells and a weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation due to the changes of surface buoyancy fluxes. TCs in the model cause anomalous equatorward ocean heat convergence in the deep tropics and an increase of poleward ocean heat transport out of the subtropics. Our modeling results provide new insights into the multiscale interactions between TCs and the coupled climate system.

Changes in the Relationship between ENSO and the Winter Arctic Stratospheric Polar Vortex in Recent Decades

Abstract The impact of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the winter stratospheric polar vortex intensity (PVI) is re-examined, using JRA-55 datasets and the CESM2 model. Our results show that the negative correlation between ENSO and PVI has weakened in recent decades and is no longer statistically significant after the mid-1990s. This weakening ENSO–PVI relationship after the mid-1990s is associated with wave-1 fluxes entering the stratosphere; that is, the ENSO-induced increasing wave-1 fluxes are weaker after the mid-1990s than before the mid-1990s. Except for the Pacific–North America (PNA)-like wave train, the stratospheric wave flux changes are related to ENSO-induced geopotential height changes over East Asia. The ENSO-induced tropical zonal circulation anomalies are enhanced from the central Pacific to East Asia, leading to more substantial wave flux anomalies propagating westward from the central Pacific to East Asia and a more significant high center over Northeast Asia after the mid-1990s than before the mid-1990s. This ENSO-induced high center after the mid-1990s is out of phase with the climatological center of wave 1, leading to a relatively weaker increase in wave 1. Model results show that changes in the ENSO–PVI relationship and ENSO–Asia circulation are associated with changes in ENSO-related SST combined with global mean SST. Significance Statement In this study, changes in the ENSO–polar vortex relationship and the relevant mechanisms are analyzed from the perspective of the ENSO-induced East Asia circulation. The results can help us better understand and predict variations in the stratospheric polar vortex.

Decadal Prediction of Marine Heatwaves in MPI‐ESM

AbstractMarine Heatwaves (MHW) are SST extremes that can have devastating impacts on marine ecosystems and can influence circulation patterns in the ocean and the atmosphere. Here, we present a first attempt to study the decadal predictability of MHW in an ensemble of decadal hindcasts based on the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model. For the global mean we find significant skill for the multiyear MHW trends but we cannot predict the interannual to decadal variability of MHW. In the Subpolar North Atlantic, we can predict the interannual to decadal variability of MHW days and frequency up to lead year 8. We demonstrate that in the Subpolar North Atlantic, any increase in SST is accompanied by more MHW and vice versa. Thereby we gain additional information about the decadal evolution of SST that go beyond predicting the yearly mean SST.

Foraging habitat characterization of green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, in the Cenderawasih Bay, Papua, Indonesia: Insights from satellite tag tracking and seagrass survey

Abstract. Tapilatu RF, Wona H, Mofu B, Kolibingso D, Alzair N, Erdmann M, Marunaya B. 2022. Foraging habitat characterization of green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, in the Cenderawasih Bay, Papua, Indonesia: Insights from satellite tag tracking and seagrass survey. Biodiversitas 23: 2783-2789. The distribution area of green turtles is not yet known in Cenderawasih Bay. On 20 November 2020, two satellite transmitters were attached to two female green turtles (Chelonia mydas Linnaeus, 1758) on Kalilemon, Southwest Cenderawasih Bay, Papua Province, Indonesia. Kalilemon area and Mangga Island as part of Kwatisore waters are the major foraging areas for this species and are under threat of turtle opportunistic poachers. The results show that the two turtles (Mary and Nona) dispersed and used limited but consistent and different foraging grounds during the tracking period through the satellite tags between November 2020-April 2021 at Mangga Island and Kalilemon. The composition of seagrass at both stations consisted of the same five species belonging to the families Cymodoceae and Hydrocharitaceae, with relatively different qualitative abundances. Overall, the mean chlorophyll-a content during the study period from November 2020-April 2021 ranged from 0.25-0.55mg/m3 at both foraging grounds (Mangga Island and Kalilemon). The mean SST during the study period ranged from 30.61-31.77oC in both locations. Before the next tracking attempt, more data on seasonal foraging and nesting activities are required. The result of this research is vital to determine the foraging grounds for green turtles related to the seagrass species with its abundance and key environmental factors in the management and conservation of sea turtles in the Cenderawasih Bay area.

Impact of SST on the intensity prediction of Extremely Severe Tropical Cyclones Fani and Amphan in the Bay of Bengal

This study investigates the impact of SST on the prediction of intensification / rapid intensification (RI) of two pre-monsoon Tropical Cyclones Fani (2019) and Amphan (2020) in the Bay of Bengal using convection-permitting high-resolution WRF simulations. Sensitivity experiments are conducted with SST boundary conditions derived from i) NCEP operational GFS SST analysis and forecasts (GFS), ii) NOAA real-time SST data (NOAA) iii), Climatological mean SST (CLIM). Simulations indicated a positive SST anomaly of 1.5 °C, 0.75 °C for Amphan and Fani respectively in NOAA and GFS and all simulations revealed moderate wind shear during intensification. Significant differences are found in the intensity prediction. NOAA followed by GFS predict relatively stronger TCs in response to the warm SST anomalies relative to CLIM. Results of NOAA suggest that it creates a more thermodynamically favourable environment than GFS and CLIM due to warm SST which would facilitate an intense tilt-induced asymmetric convection, stronger upper air divergence, and its interaction with the environment flow tending to reduce the shear and leading to the RI. A detailed analysis for Amphan revealed an increase of surface fluxes, stronger diabatic heating, enhanced low-level convergence and convection indicating the creation of a more favourable thermodynamic environment in NOAA compared to GFS and CLIM due to warm SST, which favors intensification/RI. The positive SST anomaly present over a large area around the cyclone in NOAA has led to larger surface enthalpy fluxes, a high θe in the lower and upper regions as well as a warmer core with strong convective updrafts all leading to a higher intensification relative to GFS and CLIM.

Distinct Impacts of ENSO on Haze Pollution in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region between Early and Late Winters

Abstract The Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region has encountered increasingly severe and frequent haze pollution during recent decades. This study reveals that El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has distinctive impacts on interannual variations of haze pollution over BTH in early and late winters. The impact of ENSO on the haze pollution over the BTH is strong in early winter, but weak in late winter. In early winter, ENSO-related sea surface temperature anomalies generate double-cell Walker circulation anomalies, with upward motion anomalies over the tropical central-eastern Pacific and tropical Indian Ocean, and downward motion anomalies over the tropical western Pacific. The ascending motion and enhanced atmospheric heating anomalies over the tropical Indian Ocean trigger atmospheric teleconnection propagating from the north Indian Ocean to East Asia, and result in the generation of an anticyclonic anomaly over Northeast Asia. The associated southerly anomalies to the west side lead to more serious haze pollution via reducing surface wind speed and increasing low-level humidity and the thermal inversion. The strong contribution of the Indian Ocean heating anomalies to the formation of the anticyclonic anomaly over Northeast Asia in early winter can be confirmed by atmospheric model numerical experiments. In late winter, vertical motion and precipitation anomalies are weak over the tropical Indian Ocean related to ENSO. As such, ENSO cannot induce a clear anticyclonic anomaly over Northeast Asia via atmospheric teleconnection, and thus has a weak impact on the haze pollution over BTH. Further analysis shows that stronger ENSO-induced atmospheric heating anomalies over the tropical Indian Ocean in early winter are partially due to higher mean SST and precipitation there. Significance Statement There exist large discrepancies regarding the contribution of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events to the wintertime haze pollution over North China. Several studies have indicated that ENSO has a weak impact on the haze pollution over North China. However, some studies have argued that ENSO events can exert impacts on the occurrence of haze pollution over North China. In this study, we present evidence to demonstrate that ENSO has distinctive impacts on interannual variations of the haze pollution over the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region in North China in early and late winters. Specifically, ENSO has a strong impact on the haze pollution over BTH in early winter, whereas the impact of ENSO on the haze pollution over BTH is fairly weak in late winter. Results of this study could reconcile the discrepancy of previous studies about the impact of ENSO on the haze pollution over North China.

Results of Arthroscopic Remplissage with Bankart Repair for the Management of Glenohumeral Instability with Hill-Sachs Bone Defect

Glenohumeral joint instability is one of the commonest disorders of the shoulder as it has a great range of motion on the expense of stability as refered to the bony configuration of the joint. Instability may be traumatic or atraumatic and uni-directional or multidirectional with wide range of patient complaints from mild pain in micro-instability to obvious dislocation. The most commonly used arthroscopic procedure include filling the humeral head defect by capsulo-tenodesis of the infraspinatus tendon and posterior capsule (Remplissage). The aim of this study was to present our results of Bankart repair and Reimplissage in management of recurrent shoulder instability with Hill-Sachs lesions. 20 young, middle age and fit patients with recurrent anterior shoulder dislocation with combined Bankart lesion and Hill-Sachs lesion. All Hill-Sachs lesions were large or engaging (Calandra grade 3 at time of arthroscopy) and all were managed by arthroscopic Bankart repair combined with Remplissage. When compared to pre-operative ROM, a statistically significant difference was found in the mean increase of anterior elevation by 2°, external rotation (ER) side by 4◦ and 5° for ER at 90° abduction at final follow-up (p value < 0.001). There were statistically significant difference in the mean decrease of 5° and 10° in ER side and ER at 90° abduction respectively at final follow-up compared to normal side ROM (p value < 0.001), also significant decrease in anterior elevation by 4° and IR at 90° abduction by 2° (p value < 0.001) which were not comparable to other studies but was clinically insignificant. The mean final Rowe and SST scores were 85 and 11.35 respectively indicating a statistically significant difference in mean increase of both the total Rowe and total SST percentage score when compared to pre-operative scores (p value < 0.001). All patients were followed prospectively for a minimum of 12 months. Conclusion: arthroscopic Bankart repair and remplissage is an effective means of managing shoulder instability in patients with large Hill-Sachs lesions and no significant glenoid bony defect.

Impact of a Mixed Ocean Layer and the Diurnal Cycle on Convective Aggregation.

We investigate how ocean feedbacks and the diurnal cycle impact convective aggregation using a slab ocean coupled to a cloud resolving model. With a 20 m mixed layer ocean, aggregation occurs after 25 days. Thinner ocean layers slow the onset of clustering, with a 1 m ocean layer needing around 43 days. The delay is due to anomalous solar radiation in clear sky regions, causing a relative surface warming balanced by a matching cooling in cloudy areas. The resulting gradient in surface heat fluxes opposes low level convergence into convecting regions. On aggregation, the convective regions are surrounded by moist, clear sky regions with the hottest SSTs, toward which convection migrates, while a cold SST patch forms under dry suppressed regions due to enhanced latent heat fluxes and longwave radiation. The next experiment allows a diurnal cycle of 2.5°C in the domain mean SST. This causes convective rainfall to shift from a weak morning maximum to a sharper evening peak, reminiscent of undisturbed tropical observations. However, convection reverts to a weak early morning maximum once aggregation starts due to spatially heterogeneous radiative forcing. This implies thin mixed ocean layers are a necessary but non‐sufficient condition for an afternoon maximum of convection; limited spatial water vapor variability is also necessary. The imposition of the mean diurnal cycle has no statistically significant impact on the mean timing of clustering onset.

Comparisons between treatment of isolated posterosuperior paralabral cysts and simultaneous treatment of cysts combined with associated shoulder pathologies: arthroscopic treatment of posterosuperior paralabral cysts.

The purpose of this study is to report the radiologic and clinical outcomes of arthroscopic intervention for isolated posterosuperior paralabral cysts and simultaneous treatment of cysts combined with associated shoulder pathologies. From March 2008 through December 2016, 70 cases (48 males and 22 females) operated on for symptomatic posterosuperior paralabral cysts were included. Mean age was 45 (range 18-69). These patients were classified into two groups depending on if they had accompanying lesions: Group I (isolated group, 27 patients) and Group II (concomitant group, 43 patients). Arthroscopic cyst decompression with a labral repair or posterior capsulotomy for patients without labral tear were performed. All concomitant pathologies were also operated simultaneously. Follow-up MRI were performed at postoperative 6 months and clinical outcomes were evaluated during the follow-up. Arthroscopic all intra-articular cyst decompression and labral repair was performed on 67 patients. In three patients, posterior capsulotomy without labral repair was performed for cyst removal. For 43 patients with concomitant lesions, 31 rotator cuff repairs, three SLAP repairs along with biceps tenodesis, two distal clavicle resections due to A-C joint arthritis, one calcific deposit removal, four Bankart repairs, and two acromioplasties were performed. The follow-up MRI showed complete cyst resorption except for two patients. The mean VAS, ASES, UCLA, SST and CS scores significantly improved at the last follow-up. Although both groups showed significantly improved range of motion after the surgery, improvement of ROM in Group II lagged at early periods of the rehabilitation. Arthroscopic labral repair with all intra-articular cysts decompression or simple posterior capsulotomy were both effective treatment modalities. If paralabral cysts were associated with other shoulder lesions, simultaneous treatment of combined lesions could be performed for the improved clinical outcomes at final follow-up with expected lag in the early rehabilitation period. Level III, Retrospective Comparative Trial, Treatment Study.

Enhanced influence of ENSO on winter precipitation over southern China in recent decades

AbstractUsing observation, reanalysis and model datasets, the impact of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on winter precipitation in southern China is re-examined. The results show that positive correlation between ENSO and winter precipitation in southern China after 1995 is significantly higher than that before 1995. Significant positive correlation is located mainly over the southern coastal areas of China before 1995, whereas the positive correlation extends northward to the Yangtze River basin after 1995. These changes in the relationship between ENSO and winter precipitation are related to the ENSO pattern and Philippine anticyclone changes. An increasing trend is observed in the ENSO amplitude, while the area with cooler SST in the Philippine seas extends westward after 1995 compared with that before 1995, leading to an extension of the anticyclone from the east side to the west side of the Philippines. The westward extension of anticyclone after 1995 could enhance the winter precipitation over southern China through modifying water vapour fluxes and vertical motion. Model results support the observation analyses of the changes in ENSO-precipitation relationship and the corresponding mechanism. The mean SST changes could also modify the ENSO-precipitation relationship.

Outcomes of rotator cuff repair with concurrent microfracture of focal glenohumeral osteoarthritis

The benefit of rotator cuff repair (RCR) in patients with concurrent osteoarthritic changes remains unclear. RCR has the theoretical potential to increase the compressive force across the glenohumeral joint, further exacerbating osteoarthritis pain. The purpose of this study is to investigate pain relief and patient-reported outcomes of patients undergoing simultaneous RCR and microfracture of focal glenohumeral osteoarthritis. Thirty-four patients undergoing simultaneous RCR and microfracture were retrospectively reviewed at a minimum 1-year follow-up. Patient demographics, preoperative range of motion, functional outcomes (visual analog scale [VAS], Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation [SANE], American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form [ASES], and Simple Shoulder Test [SST]), and operative metrics were recorded. The patients were then contacted to obtain postoperative functional outcome scores (VAS, SANE, ASES, and SST). Twenty-seven patients (11 male/16 female [79%]) were evaluated at a mean follow-up of 25.8 months (range, 12-46). The average age at surgery was 64.9 years (range, 56-78). Chronic tears were more common than acute tears (57.7% vs. 42.3%). The majority of patients had a full rotator cuff tear (89%) involving a mean 1.7 ± 0.8 tendons (range, 1-3). Eighty-eight percent of the humeral lesions were Outerbridge 4 compared with 84% on the glenoid. The mean estimated involvement between the 2 groups with 38.4% ± 18.4% of the humeral head involved and 34.6% ± 18.4% of the glenoid involved. PRO scores improved postoperatively with a reduction in mean VAS (6.6-2.0, P < .01), SANE (33.8-79.8, P < .01), ASES (38.0-80.9, P < .01), and SST (3.07-9.70, P < .01) scores. Cumulatively, only 52% (14/27) of the patients improved, however, by the MCID for all collected PROs. Our results demonstrate modest improvements in postoperative pain and functional scores at a minimum of 1-year follow-up in a cohort of patients who have undergone RCR and glenohumeral microfracture. In cases of small focal lesions of full-thickness cartilage loss, RCR with microfracture is a reasonable treatment option; however, patients should be counseled on expectations accordingly.

Estimation of Koopman Transfer Operators for the Equatorial Pacific SST

AbstractIn the last years, ensemble methods have been widely popular in atmospheric, climate, and ocean dynamics investigations and forecasts as convenient methods to obtain statistical information on these systems. In many cases, ensembles have been used as an approximation to the probability distribution that has acquired more and more a central role, as the importance of a single trajectory, or member, was recognized as less informative. This paper shows that using results from the dynamical systems and more recent results from the machine learning and AI communities, we can arrive at a direct estimation of the probability distribution evolution and also at the formulation of predictor systems based on a nonlinear formulation. The paper introduces the theory and demonstrates its application to two examples. The first is a one-dimensional system based on the Niño-3 index; the second is a multidimensional case based on time series of monthly mean SST in the Pacific. We show that we can construct the probability distribution and set up a system to forecast its evolution and derive various quantities from it. The objective of the paper is not strict realism, but the introduction of these methods and the demonstration that they can be used also in the complex, multidimensional environment typical of atmosphere and ocean applications.

Impacts of Coral Growth on Geochemistry: Lessons From the Galápagos Islands

AbstractCoral geochemical climate reconstructions can extend our knowledge of global climate variability and trends over time scales longer than those of instrumental data. However, such reconstructions can be biased by coral growth and skeletal architecture, such as growth troughs, off‐axis corallite orientation, and changing growth direction. This study quantifies the impact of skeletal architecture and growth on geochemistry using measurements of coral skeletal density, extension rate, and calcification rate, and uses these metrics to improve paleoclimate reconstructions. We present paired geochemistry‐density records at Wolf Island, Galápagos, from three Porites lobata corals: two new paired density and geochemistry records from one fossil coral, and new density data from two previously published modern geochemistry records. We categorize each sampling transect used in this record by the quality of its orientation with respect to skeletal architecture. We observe relationships between geochemistry and density that are not detected using extension or calcification rate alone. These density‐geochemistry relationships likely reflect both the response of coral growth to environmental conditions and the nonclimatic impact of skeletal architecture on geochemistry in suboptimal sampling transects. Correlations of density with Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca, and Mg/Ca are consistent with the Rayleigh fractionation model of trace element incorporation into coral skeletons. Removing transects with suboptimal skeletal architecture increases mean reconstructed SST closer to instrumental mean SST, and lowers errors of reconstruction by up to 20%. These results demonstrate the usefulness of coral density data for assessing skeletal architecture and growth when generating coral paleoclimate records.