On Mar 8, 10:57*pm, "Lawrence Jenkins" wrote:
Now, no doubt Dawlish or someone is going to tell me the chart is upside
down

http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/i...timeseries.png

Assume the yoga position please

Taking leg from behind head.........

Actually Lawrence - and rather ironically - I think you may have
chosen a graph from the exact day that the spring maximum was reached
for your snapshot! *))

It is always a risky business calling the peak and this may come back
and bite me, but I think the NSIDC will soon be calling March 8th as
the maximum; a day earlier than last year.

Recent years have seen a trend towards an earlier date for the spring
maximum.

The ice extent at this year's minimum will be very interesting.The
NSIDC goes for more ice remaining this year, due to a lack of flushing
through the Fram Strait this winter, but the world is warm and that
warmth isn't going to go away during this melt season. In addition,
there is less older, thicker ice, year-on-year. If it is a melt season
dominated by high pressure, especially during August and September
(unlike 2006 when storms interrupted the melt and almost certainly
prevented a record low). It could be another very low minimum.