Amazon Tall Tower Observatory

Amazon Tall Tower Observatory
ATTO's tallest tower observed from one of the 80-m towers

The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory or ATTO (in Portuguese: Observatório de Torre Alta da Amazônia) is a scientific research facility in the Amazon rainforest. It contains three research tower, one with a height of 325 metres (1,066 ft),[1] making it the tallest research tower is South America.[2] Two further towers are 80 meters (260 ft) in height. They are equipped with a broad range of instruments to measure chemicals and physical properties of the atmosphere, such as greenhouse gas concentrations, aerosols and meteorological data. The observatory also contains lab containers, a base camp and several near-by field sites to study soil and forest.[3]

Description

The observatory is a joint project between Germany and Brazil coordinated by the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry on the German side and the Brazilian National Institute of Amazonian Research, INPA (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia) on the Brazilian side.[4] Other major research partners include the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the University of the State of Amazonas, UEA (Universidade do Estado do Amazonas), with over 20 research institutes and universities in Brazil, Germany and other countries participating. The initial building cost of 8.4 million Euros was shared about equally by the German and Brazil partners.[5]

The site is distant from any human presence, about 150 kilometres northeast of Manaus, "far from disturbances caused by human influences."[5] The towers are used to study the atmosphere and its interactions with the largely untouched rainforest and soil below. It measures greenhouse gases, aerosols and weather data and provides information about a roughly 100 square kilometer area around the tower.

The joint project is dedicated to the exploration of the rainforest biosphere and how it responds to global warming. According to the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), ATTO allows to reach new levels of measurements regarding the greenhouse gases and the complex interactions between the land surface and the atmosphere. Furthermore, the measuring tower will contribute to gather and assess “climate-relevant chemical and physical processes over the Amazon” and thus create new principles for climate protection.[6][7]

ATTO's counterpart “ZOTTO” (Zotino Tall Tower Observation Facility) is located in the Siberian Taiga.

History

The project was launched in 2009. The two 80 m towers were operational by 2012. Building of the tower began in 2014 and was completed in 2015.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Brazil builds giant Amazon observation tower". bbc.com. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  2. ↑ "Amazon Tall Tower Observatory gives scientists the big picture of the rainforest". The Independent. 17 May 2015.
  3. ↑ Andreae et. al. (2015-09-28). "The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO): overview of pilot measurements on ecosystem ecology, meteorology, trace gases, and aerosols". Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 15 (18): 10723–10776. doi:10.5194/acp-15-10723-2015. ISSN 1680-7316.
  4. ↑ "ATTO - Amazon Tall Tower Observatory". ATTO - Amazon Tall Tower Observatory. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  5. 1 2 3 "Factsheet ATTO". Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Tallest Measurement Tower opened in Brazil - FONA". Forschung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung (FONA). Retrieved 2016-12-19.
  7. ↑ "Amazon Tall Tower Observatory Completes in Rainforest Near Manaus". CTBUH Global News. 18 May 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2017.

Coordinates: 2°08′35″S 59°00′04″W / 2.1430°S 59.0010°W / -2.1430; -59.0010

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.