Volcanic activity has frequently been linked to Quaternary environmental change, either by driving climate modification(1,2) or in response to environmental changed(3). Although a link has been established between large explosive eruptions and small (0.5 degrees 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(8-11) 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.