http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/

The dynamics behind the appearance of sea ice with the North Pole at the centre of millions of km of ice follows roughly the expansion and present contraction of the area constantly without solar radiation.

Planetary climate is more or less dependent on the rate of change in expansion and contraction of that surface area on constant solar radiation across half an orbit, the greater the degree of inclination closer to the orbital plane the more the surface area expands across latitudes and the faster changes occur.

http://calgary.rasc.ca/images/planet_inclinations.gif

The sphere of reasoning surrounding planetary climate within context of all the planets of the solar system doesn't really exist due to the dominance of computer modelling based on a narrow set of experimental components that do not scale up to our planet's atmosphere and its responses to the motions of the Earth.