Welcome
Welcome to our website for ATTO, the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory – an Amazon research project.
This research site is located in the middle of the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil, about 150 km north of Manaus. It is run together by scientists from Germany and Brazil. Its aim is to continuously record meteorological, chemical and biological data, such as the concentration of greenhouses gases. With the help of these data, we hope to gain insights into how the Amazon interacts with the overlying atmosphere and the soil below. Because this region is of such importance to the global climate, it is vital to get a better understanding of these complex processes. Only then will we be able to make more accurate climate predictions.
Have a look around on our website to learn more about the research performed at ATTO and in labs and offices around the world. Please note that the website is still under constructions and more content will be added. So be sure to check back soon! You can also follow us on Social Media to get an insight into the daily lives of the ATTO scientists and stay up-to-date on all the latest news and events!
News
This year's ATTO workshop will take place in at INPA in Manaus September 16 - 18, 2025. It will be preceded by a mini-workshop on data (management) on September 15.
A new study by Robin et al. reveals that isoprene emissions are associated with mechanical or chemical defenses vary between the different leaf phenological types in the central Amazon rainforest.
Lange et al. analyzed dissolved organic matter (DOM) in terra firme and white sand soils in the Amazon to learn about the potential limitations of the important nutients phosphorous, nitrogen and sulfur in the different forest and soil types prevalent across the Amazon rainforest.
Luciane Reis and her colleagues now performed a new study at the ATTO site that shows that gust fronts can also cause large jumps in carbon dioxide concentrations. But what are the sources of this carbon-dioxide-rich air?
Scientists measured carbonyl compounds in the atmosphere of the Amazon rainforest with the adopted instrumentation to separate aldehydes and ketones. They made some unexpected discoveries, showing studying the variety of carbonyl compounds separately is extremely worthwhile.
Atmospheric aerosol particles are essential for the formation of clouds and precipitation, thereby influencing the Earth’s energy budget, water cycle, and climate. However, the origin of aerosol particles in pristine air over the Amazon rainforest during the wet season is poorly understood. A new study reveals that rainfall regularly induces bursts of newly formed nanoparticles in the air above the forest canopy.
Blog: Voices from the Amazon
Aline Radaelli is the new outreach person for ATTO, working with Uatumã’s communities. She holds a PhD in sociology and has lots of experience working with indigenous and riverine communities. She even worked at the RDS Uatumã before, back in 2013.
Stefan Herdy is a Data Scientist and Software Developer at this University Graz. At ATTO, he set up small, remote stations to monitor the rainforest’s microclimate and atmospheric dynamics.
Nelson Dias shares how using the programming language Chapel helps him to analyze atmospheric turbulence above the Amazon rainforest. Chapel is a programming language designed for productive parallel computing at scale.
Hi there, my name is Juliana. I am the new ATTO Scientific Data Manager working at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry. I come from south Brazil where I studied Biology. I moved to Manaus in 2009 to pursue a Master in Ecology at INPA. Throughout my academic career I have also acquired experience in research data management.
Hi everyone, my name is Fernanda! I am a Post Doc at National Institute for Amazonian Research in Manaus (Brazil). Along with collaborators at INPA and MPI-BGC, I am working on methane fluxes from tree stems in the different ecosystems present at ATTO.
My name is Tarek S. El-Madany and I’m the new head of the Central Service Group “Field Experiments and Instrumentation” at MPI-BGC in Jena. I am taking over from Olaf Kolle, who will be retiring this year. I’m a trained landscape ecologist and specialized in micrometeorology.
Project Updates
In 2018, ATTO junior researchers in Brasil initiated an education project with the local communities near ATTO. These communities of Bela Vista, Maracarana and Macacaboia are located along the Uatuma river, partially within the USD reserve. They are small communities