Brazil and Germany Build a Tower for Climate Monitoring in the Amazon

Brasília – In the Amazonian rain forest, a 325 meter high tower for the observation of climate change in the region will be set up later this year. The name of the Atto (abbreviation for Amazon Tall Tower Obervatory) baptized tower emerges from a German-Brazilian partnership. The two countries are investing 7.5 million R$, the equivalent of about 2.5 million € in the observation stations. The foundation stone was placed today in the sanctuary for the sustainable development of Uatumã, 150 km from Manaus. The construction should be completed by next November.

In one of the most sensitive ecosystems on earth, which plays an important role in stabilizing the climate, the target of the observation tower is to measure the impact of global climate change on forests, which are free from floods, and thus the interaction of the forest with the atmosphere. In addition, a broad range of studies about the chemistry of the atmosphere should be carried out here.

According to the National Institute for Amazon Research (Inpa), the location for the installation of the tower was selected after carrying out a number of joint studies from the German Max Planck Institute and the University of the State of Amazonas (UEA). The tower Atto is the first of its kind in South America, four times as high as the current observation tower of the Inpa (80 meters).

The tower will be working around the clock and should serve for 20-30 years. Four smaller towers (80 meters each) are being built nearby in order to assist the data collection of the main tower. The climate monitoring is a joint venture under the direction of Inpa, the Max-Planck-Institut and the UEA, with a number of smaller organisations supporting the project.