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
Thunderstorms regularly reshape weather over the Amazon. Using high-frequency data from the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory, researchers cataloged 410 storms (Aug 2021–Dec 2023) and found they strike about every other day, mostly from midafternoon to evening and April–September. The forest canopy mutes most gusts below it, while above-canopy airflow matches textbook storm patterns—insights that improve models of energy, aerosol, and greenhouse gas exchanges for better weather and climate predictions.
Postdoc Position for the FAPESP Project: New Particle Formation and Its Interaction with Clouds and Precipitation in the Amazon. Deadline for application is May 5, 2026
The Amazon rainforest experienced unusually high temperatures and atmospheric dryness in 2023. Observations from ATTO and further data revealed that the vegetation’s uptake of carbon was above average early in the year, but drastically reduced during the drought season, leading from a carbon sink into a source.
Dear ATTO community The ATTO workshop 2026 will take place at
Researchers at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory have published several
New study by the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry shows: The ratio of certain forest scent molecules provides precise insights into the stress state of the rainforest.
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