Harbinger?

Several people have mentioned (I think the first I heard of it was from the Rabett) that at the moment, Arctic sea ice is exceptionally fragmented. It has even been suggested that we should expect a precipitous decline over the next week or so, by some accounts because of a possible imminent storm. I don’t know whether or not such prognostications are true, but I am motivated to look at the relationship between the two most common measures of sea ice, its area and its extent.