[palmer]

Sea ice in the southern hemisphere is ahead of the multi-year averages... by a larger margin than the northern `deficiency.' In other words, globally speaking (and the enviros all want us to `think globally'), we've got more sea ice than normal.

No. See first chart at http://wattsupwiththat.com/reference-pages/sea-ice-page/

[alancarp]

Actually, yes: on that same website (which was my source also), see these charts:

Northern Hemisphere Sea Ice Anomaly: currently .435 million sq. km below normal
Southern Hemisphere Sea Ice Anomaly: currently .919 million sq. km above normal.

Since .919 > .435, we are indeed above normal. I believe that the red trace on the chart you cited indicates the same point.