Collapse of the sea ice could occur even faster than decline of sea ice extent may indicate.

Rapid loss of sea ice thickness has taken place over the years, as discussed in a recent post. A trend based on PIOMAS volume data (preliminary for 2016) points at zero volume around December 2021/January 2022, as illustrated by the graph.

Indeed, back in 2012 Professor Peter Wadhams warned about a collapse: "global warming will increase the intensity of extreme weather events, so m...ore heavy winds and more intense storms can be expected to increasingly break up the remaining ice, both mechanically and by enhancing ocean heat transfer to the under-ice surface."