From 2006 to 2011 the MPI-M established the "Super Volcano" (SV) project as one of its crosscutting science projects. Detailed information about the project can be obtained from the project web page (https://mpimet.mpg.de/en/research/department-climate-physics/stratospheric-forcing-and-climate).
The major goal of this MPI-M Earth System Modelling (ESM) project was the investigation of the effects volcanic super eruptions have on the natural climate variability, employing the full coupled MPI-M ESM. Super eruptions constitute extremely strong forcing to the Earth System and are therefore an ideal test bed for the quality and performance of an ESM. Several interesting studies have been performed in the frame of the SV project dealing with the climate effect from large up to very large volcanic eruptions but also more process related studies. Simulations to study the climate effect of extremely large volcanic eruptions have been carried out for the Young Toba Tuff eruption (Timmreck et al, 2010, 2012) and a Yellowstone super eruption (Segschneider et al, 2013; Timmreck et al, in prep).
In cooperation with the collaborative research project SFB574 at IFM-GEOMAR the largest central American eruption, of the last 200 000 years the Los Chocoyos Eruption (84.000 years BP), has been investigated (PhD thesis D. Metzner , in prep.). Furthermore jointly with the Millennium project the imprint of large volcanic eruptions in the last 1000 years on the Northern Hemisphere winter climate variability was studied (Timmreck et al, 2009; Brovkin et al, 2010;Zanchettin et al, 2012;) in particular for the Tambora eruption (Zanchettin et la, 2013a;b).
Brovkin V. et al. Sensitivity of a coupled climate-carbon cycle model to large volcanic eruptions during the last millennium, Tellus B, 62, 674-681 2010.
Segschneider, J. et al, Impact of an extremely large magnitude volcanic eruption on the global climate and carbon cycle estimated from ensemble Earth System Model simulations, Biogeosciences, 10, 669-687, doi:10.5194/bg-10-669-2013.
Timmreck, C. et al. Limited temperature response to the very large AD 1258 volcanic eruption, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L21708, doi:10.1029/2009GL04008,2009.
Timmreck, C. et al. Aerosol size confines climate response to volcanic super-eruptions, Geophys. Res. Lett. 37, L24705, doi:10.1029/2010GL045464, 2010.
Timmreck C. et al. Climate response to the Toba eruption: regional changes. Quat Int. 258,30-44. (2012)
Zanchettin, D. et al. Bi-decadal variability excited in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system by strong tropical volcanic eruptions Climate Dynamics,DOI: 10.1007/s00382-011-1167-1 2012.
Zanchettin D. et al. Delayed winter warming: a decadal dynamical response to strong tropical volcanic eruptions. Geophys. Res. Lett. DOI: 10.1029/2012GL054403, 2013a
Zanchettin D. et al. Background conditions influence the decadal climate response to strong volcanic eruptions. J. Geophys. Res. 10.1002/jgrd.50229, 2013b.