I think permanent ice is essentially permafrost as in "too cold for any seasonal melt/freeze cycle".

Technically net ice mass /could/ increase in that state depending on precipitation vs melt rate and even an increase may not be a good thing (fresh artic snow could cause ecological issues even).

That tangent aside it opens the door to potential eventual total melt by definition - if the area is still permafrost that means it never melts year round.

Which while a worrying sign doesn't equate to total immediate melt in four years.