Wj. Mcguire et al., CORRELATION BETWEEN RATE OF SEA-LEVEL CHANGE AND FREQUENCY OF EXPLOSIVE VOLCANISM IN THE MEDITERRANEAN, Nature, 389(6650), 1997, pp. 473-476
Volcanic activity has frequently been linked to Quaternary environment
al change, either by driving climate modification(1,2) or in response
to environmental changed(3). Although a link has been established betw
een large explosive eruptions and small (0.5 degrees C), brief (1-2 ye
ars) falls in global temperatures(4), both the evidence and mechanisms
responsible for longer episodes of eruption-induced planetary cooling
remain questionable(1,2,5,6,). In contrast, recent research based on
ice-core data suggests that rapid climate changes during the past 110,
000 years increased explosive volcanic activity(7). Here we present a
statistical analysis relating the frequency of explosive activity of M
editerranean volcanoes-based on dated(8-11) tephra layers in deep-sea
sediment cores-to the rate of late Quaternary sea-level change. The no
nlinear correlation between the two is tentatively explained in terms
of dynamic responses of the volcanoes to stress-related influences on
various spatial scales. The correlation supports a mechanism or mechan
isms by which the climate-driven growth and decay of large ice sheets
can influence the eruptive chronologies of distant volcanic edifices v
ia changes in global sea level.