CORRELATION BETWEEN RATE OF SEA-LEVEL CHANGE AND FREQUENCY OF EXPLOSIVE VOLCANISM IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

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.