[cogitator]

Does this mean the earth is warming up

Yes.

as it has in the past?

Probably not.

[muawiyah]

Baffin Island is where the North American glacial cap begins (during periods of glaciation).

The ice gets pretty deep there, and for a much longer time than in "outlying regions".

Once the cap is gone, the Earth's surface rebounds. This process is sometimes called isostatic rebound. Although the average rise is about 1 or 2 cm per year (where it occurs), it should be sufficient to register as a temperature differential in the bedrock.

Anyone know how much heat is generated by moving vast quantities of dirt and rock the size of Baffin Island 1 cm further from the center of the Earth?

[Dominic Harr]

Does this mean the earth is warming up as it has in the past?

Probably not, you say?

For example, during the 'Holocene thermal maximum,' the warmest period of the past 10,000 years, the Arctic average temperature was two to three degrees warmer than it is today, while the global average was only a degree or so warmer.

It's been warmer. In the past. Apparently.

Am I missing something?