i hope that people here don't see volume as OT
every other post is about extent which right now is the worst indicator of them all.
i know i used the example last year already but do it again as to extent:
a theoretical 1cm thick ice cover with gapps not higher than 15% grid would today
count as 100% extent and be gone overnight. we should put into account that
as thin as the ice is in general it could be that only bottom melt alone could make it
melt into oblivion, probably slightly exaggerated but still not so far of IMO.
what bothers me most in the endless extent discussion is the importance most users give to
the ranking of said extend which in itself has a low ranking when it comes to assessing the
current state of the ice as well as the near and mid-term future o the same.