Qualla: Amazon Tall Tower Observatory

Amazon Tall Tower Observatory: Introduction

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jorge Saturno, CC BY-SA 4.0. Deep in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, a steel lattice tower rises 325 meters into the sky, punching through the forest canopy like a needle through fabric. The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory, or ATTO, stands one meter taller than the Eiffel Tower and is currently the tallest structure in South America. From its summit, researchers collect data on greenhouse gases, aerosols, and meteorological conditions that help scientists understand how the world's largest rainforest breathes.

Image: Jorge Saturno | CC BY-SA 4.0

Amazon Tall Tower Observatory: A German-Brazilian Partnership

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jorge Saturno, CC BY-SA 4.0. ATTO is a joint project between Germany and Brazil, coordinated by the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry and Brazil's National Institute of Amazonian Research. The initial construction cost of 8.4 million euros was shared roughly equally between the two nations. Over twent...

Image: Jorge Saturno | CC BY-SA 4.0

Amazon Tall Tower Observatory: Building in the Wilderness

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jorge Saturno, CC BY-SA 4.0. The site lies roughly 150 kilometers northeast of Manaus, accessible only by unpaved roads through dense rainforest. Construction began in 2009 with two 80-meter towers that became operational in 2012. The main tower followed, its construction starting in 2014 and completing in 2...

Image: Jorge Saturno | CC BY-SA 4.0

Amazon Tall Tower Observatory: Listening to the Forest

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jorge Saturno, CC BY-SA 4.0. The tower bristles with instruments measuring everything from carbon dioxide concentrations to the particles that seed clouds above the rainforest. Researchers can sample air from ground level to 325 meters above, tracking how the forest exchanges gases with the atmosphere throug...

Image: Jorge Saturno | CC BY-SA 4.0