This graph is quite telling: You see the Loss % taking the lead, with Gain % usually mirroring the Loss during Winter. Real world explanation: Thin, FYI is easy to form during an Arctic Winter. Where you see Loss leading Gain from 02 to 07, without Gain ever crossing the line, plus from 09 to 12, you get dramatic and lasting polar ice losses.
Technical: Data for this graph are computed by a script based on the PIOMAS daily 1979—2014 data. Losses are ($maxvol[$i]–$minvol[$i])*100)/$maxvol[$i], and gains are ($maxvol[$i]–$minvol[$i–1])*100)/$maxvol[$i], to make them comparable and on the same scale. Otherwise gains would be from 250 to 535% after 2007, so I had to compare the gains to the max ice volume of that same year.
