Arctic cyclone water vapor isotopes support past sea ice retreat recorded in Greenland ice.

Rapid Arctic warming is associated with important water cycle changes: sea ice loss, increasing atmospheric humidity, permafrost thaw, and water-induced ecosystem changes. Understanding these complex modern processes is critical to interpreting past hydrologic changes preserved in paleoclimate records and predicting future Arctic changes. Cyclones are a prevalent Arctic feature and water vapor isotope ratios during these events provide insights into modern hydrologic processes that help explain past changes to the Arctic water cycle. Here we present continuous measurements of water vapor isotope ratios (δ(18)O, δ(2)H, d-excess) in Arctic Alaska from a 2013 cyclone. This cyclone resulted in a sharp d-excess decrease and disproportional δ(18)O enrichment, indicative of a higher humidity open Arctic Ocean water vapor source. Past transitions to warmer climates inferred from Greenland ice core records also reveal sharp decreases in d-excess, hypothesized to represent reduced sea ice extent and an increase in oceanic moisture source to Greenland Ice Sheet precipitation. Thus, measurements of water vapor isotope ratios during an Arctic cyclone provide a critical processed-based explanation, and the first direct confirmation, of relationships previously assumed to govern water isotope ratios during sea ice retreat and increased input of northern ocean moisture into the Arctic water cycle.

Traumatic Eagle's syndrome: report of a case and review of the literature.

A case of a styloid process fracture, or traumatic Eagle's syndrome is reported, and a review of the literature is provided. Although most patients with this rare type of fracture are treated with conservative therapy, some require surgical removal of the fractured process to alleviate their symptoms. This was necessary in the patient described.

Unusual variants in the presentation of temporal arteritis.

A retrospective study was made of 96 patients diagnosed as cranial arteritis of whom 32 were accepted using strict clinical criteria or a positive temporal artery biopsy. Unusual presentations of fever, psychiatric illness, headache-free patients and a 'normal' ESR are described. The recognition of these variations is important in the early diagnosis of temporal arteritis.