A Estação Científica do Uatumã, onde está instalado o Observatório da Torre Alta da Amazônia (ATTO)

The tower is located in such a remote place that it can only be reached with the help of teams from INPA – the National Institute for Amazonian Research. The camp is completely surrounded by the forest. It's a simple construction, mixing masonry, wood... and screens to protect against insects. The research project is known as ATTO – an acronym for "Amazon Tall Tower Observatory". The station serves as a base for over 200 scientists who study how the Amazon rainforest interacts with the atmosphere and the soil beneath it. It's a partnership between INPA and the German Max Planck Institute. The technicians are practically the guardians of the camp. Many have worked there for over 10 years. The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) is located at the Uatumã Scientific Station in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. The main tower is 325 meters high and equipped with scientific instrumentation. The complex includes two other 80-meter-high towers, several laboratories housed in containers and equipped with high-precision equipment, and a camp to accommodate scientists and technicians. The Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) is a research site in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. At its center is a 325-meter-high mast made of steel bars. It also includes two other 80-meter-high towers, several container laboratories, and a camp to accommodate the scientists and technicians who work there. Nearby permanent fields and plots complete the site. The German-Brazilian project was created in 2009. With ATTO, our main objective is to expand our understanding of the Amazon rainforest and its interactions with the soil below and the atmosphere above. At the heart of the project is our desire to learn more about biochemical cycles (such as the carbon cycle), the water cycle, and energy flows in the Amazon. We want to determine the impact of these cycles on the global climate and how they are influenced by climate change. Our teams strive to fill the gap in the global climate monitoring network and hope to gain new insights into the fundamental concepts of gas exchange and cloud formation in tropical forests. With the results from the Tall Tower Observatory, we aim to improve climate prediction models and recognize the importance of the Amazon within the climate system. The Amazon, as the world's largest continuous tropical rainforest, is of global importance. It is home to more than half of the planet's animal and plant species and contains 40% of all living biomass. An abundance of plants produces large quantities of oxygen while removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Furthermore, this vast rainforest controls the water cycles of South America. The Amazon acts as the lung and beating heart of our planet. Therefore, it is essential to better understand the complex processes and interactions within the ecosystem. International Cooperation The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory is developed in international cooperation between Brazil and Germany, through the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry. More than R$ 20 million has been invested by the two countries since its construction. Approximately R$4 million is needed annually for maintenance. According to Christopher Pohlker, the lead scientist of the multiphase chemistry group, the research programs developed from this infrastructure allow for intense exchange between Brazilian and German students, with the goal of training the next generations of researchers. “It has the perfect characteristics for the next generations to be involved,” emphasizes Pohlker. According to him, ATTO offers a very representative image of the forest to understand, especially, the fundamental processes involving everything from soils, vegetation, the atmosphere, clouds, and their connection to the climate. “This is basic and fundamental knowledge that we need to then translate the fundamental processes into climate models. We have to understand the central mechanisms to implement them in climate system forecasting models,” assesses the scientist. For the future, in the next 10 or 20 years, the project should focus on observing changes in the forest ecosystem caused by climate change, deforestation, and human influence. “Predicting how these changes are occurring and what this means for humanity is something we want to achieve,” concludes Pöhlker. National Institute for Amazonian Research - INPA https://www.gov.br/inpa/pt-br https://www.instagram.com/inpa_mcti/ https://www.facebook.com/inpa.mcti/ https://x.com/inpadaamazonia Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) https://www.attoproject.org/pt/ https://www.instagram.com/attoresearch/ https://www.facebook.com/ATTOproject/ https://x.com/ATTOresearch The project aims to monitor and study the climate of the Amazon Region.