Correlation between rate of sea-level change and frequency of explosive volcanism in the Mediterranean

Volcanic activity has frequently been linked to Quaternary environmental change, either by driving climate modification 1 , 2 or in response to environmental changes 3 . Although a link has been established between large explosive eruptions and small (0.5 °C), brief (1–2 years) 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 Mediterranean volcanoes — based on dated 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 tephra layers in deep-sea sediment cores — to the rate of late Quaternary sea-level change. The nonlinear 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 mechanisms by which the climate-driven growth and decay of large ice sheets can influence the eruptive chronologies of distant volcanic edifices via changes in global sea level.