For sea water to freeze, it has to be well below freezing point, i.e. well below 32°F.
For glacier ice to melt, it has to be above the freezing point, the same 32°F.
That said, my perception of this is that while the "Southern Region" is, as a whole, getting colder (and ocean water freezes over) the continent of Antarctica is, on its own, thawing.
Frome there, I speculate. For an entire continent to thaw, it means there is a source of energy (origin unknown and, at this point, irrelevant) which is causing continental temperatures to rise, albeit rather slowly.
This, in turn, may generate winds which blow UP, cold yet humid, from Antarctica and away from it;
once over land masses, they cool down, generating rainfall over Australia and S.America, and as dry (or, drier) winds return to Antarctica, generating a cooling effect which causes sea water to freeze over.
So... has anyone noticed torrential rains over S.America (lower portions of Argentina and Chile) and/or Australia ?
What remains to ascertain is... what IS the source of energy which is causing Antarctica to thaw over ?
The weakening of the Van Allen Belt ?
HAARP, anyone ?
Because the only other possible cause I can think of, is...