Brazil Builds Giant Amazon Observation Tower
The tower is being constructed out of steel that was brought thousands of kilometers from the south of Brazil to the site, about 160 kilometers from the Amazonian city of Manaus.
Because of its height, the tower will make it possible to investigate the alteration and movement of air masses through the forest over a distance of several hundred kilometers.
The Amazon jungle is one of the world's most sensitive ecosystems, with a powerful influence on the intake and release of carbon into the atmosphere.
""The tower will help us answer innumerable questions related to global climate change," said Paulo Artaxo, from the University of Sao Paulo and project coordinator for the Brazilians.
The tower will be integrated into an existing structure of smaller measuring towers in the region.
When finished, it will complement a similar observatory built in 2006 that already stands in Central Siberia (lower photo).
