There was an interesting paper related to mediterranean sea level change and volcanic eruption rates by M McGuire et al , which showed (if I recall correctly) increased activity during the change (up or down) but not much difference between low and high sea level stands for oceanic volcanoes. In general this also shows a potential connection between volcanic activity and climate change.

McGuire et al 1997 Correlation between rate of sea-level change and frequency of explosive volcanism in the Mediterranean: Nature 389, 473-476 doi:10.1038/38998

Sea level rise increases the overburden pressure on the surface of the

ocean floor, but decreases the over burden pressure in the areas that the ice melted.

It is still a relatively small change in pressure in both locations.

The overburden pressure change caused by deglaciation is, however, measurable in volcanic signals as in Iceland.Hence the connection between decompression and enhanced mantle melting and increased eruption rates follows even for relatively small pressure changes. A key paper relating deglaciation to volcanism was published by Jull and Mackenzie (1996) and a useful review by Maclennan et al in G-cubed vol 3 (2002). Even for the early Holocene sea level rise of 60 metres, this would probably be way too small to detect any change in melt production, but the previous answers relating to volcano edifice stability might apply.

Maclennan et al (2002) The link between volcanism and deglaciation in Iceland

weblink to article : http://www.norvol.hi.is/pdf/GGG-MacLennDeglac.pdf

doi:10.1029/2001GC000282

Jull, M., and D. McKenzie, The effect of deglaciation on man- tle melting beneath Iceland, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 21,815– 21,828, 1996.

Thank you very much for your assistance Adrian and Michael.

Furthermore thank you very much Adrian for the Papers, unfortunately I can't seem to get access to Jull & Mckenzie (1996) I have enjoyed reading the others, however I am still not quite sure I fully understand this.

I understand the link between de-glaciation, surface mass redistribution and increases in adiabatic decompression melting as a result of Ice weight removal, and the pressure changes in the oceanic basins as a result of sea level rise. However although melt production and available melt supply is increased, does this mean that the rate of melt transport to the volcano automatically increases as a by-product?

I hope that makes sence?

Pressure increase by rising sea level will have a miniscule effect but serve to inhibit mantle melting; however the time of pressure change associated with (Holocene 60m) sea level rise might promote volcano edifice instability. Any changes to melt transport mechanisms are likely to be controlled by very local conditions for which it is hard to generalise. To some extent the sea level change should be considered in the context of lunar tides, which provide daily small stress changes to volcanic systems yet there is hardly any correlation with eruption cycles: Jurgen Neuberg wrote a neat paper on this effect (Geophys J Int. 142; 232-240.: "External modulation of volcanic activity").

Thank you very much, I think I am getting to grips with this now, Thank you again Adrian

The change in the level of the Oceans between 12,000 and 8,000 years ago

is more on the order of 120 meters. It changed the British Isles from a

peninsula to islands, while making major parts of Europe and North

America from ice covered to lakes and conifers, and mosquitoes.

Thank you very much Martin, that is a brilliant paper

Papers touching on this were published in Phil Trans Roy Soc A, Vol 368, No1919 in 2010 - see in particular Sigmundson et al, Tuffen, Deeming et al and Tuffen & Betts

Thank you Keith

See also "A detection of Milankovitch frequencies in global volcanic activity" by Steffen Kutterolf et al., 2012 (Geology).

At the mid oceanic spreading ridges, the magma rises in the rift to the

elevation of the equilibrium pressure, so a rise in ocean elevation will

mean a lower elevation of cooling and hardening of the magma in the

crack, and the opposite will be true if the ocean level falls.

The shape of the ocean floor is thus a geologic record of the

cyclical changes in the ocean elevations, and of its overall trend

toward a thinner ocean with a greater surface area.