Brazilian scientists have built an Amazon climate “time machine” called AmazonFACE near Manaus, aiming to pump elevated levels of carbon dioxide into the air to simulate future atmospheric conditions.
The project consists of six rings of steel towers looming over the Amazon forest canopy. Each ring surrounds groups of 50 to 70 mature trees.
The purpose of the setup in which rings serve as controls, is to simulate the atmospheric conditions that would be predicted for the coming decades.
The project will also help scientists understand how Amazon forest will adapt as the question is going to be discussed in the upcoming COP30 climate summit in Brazil.
The project is led by the National Institute for Amazon Research (INPA) and Universidade Estadual de Campinas with the support from the UK and Brazil’s government.
"We're trying to create the atmosphere of the future," said Carlos Quesada, a coordinator for the National Institute for Amazon Research (INPA).
The Amazon tropical rainforest lies at the forefront of climate change. The protection of the forest is important to tackle climate change through carbon sequestration.
At the climate summit scheduled for November 10-21 in Belem, the policymakers will discuss how the rainforest can adapt to the changing realities of climate.
FACE is known as Free-Air CO2 Enrichment, allowing scientists to assess the high levels of CO2 on the forests and flora diversity.
This is not the first of its kind experiment. The United States has also performed this experiment. But, "This is the first experiment in a natural forest of this size in the tropics," forestry engineer Gustavo Carvalho said.