A large-scale experimental program has begun in the world's largest tropical forest that will measure the impacts of climate change in the open air. O AmazonFACE, after 11 years of planning and negotiations, inaugurated its first 35 meter high towers at the experimental site in Manaus, in the Amazon, on December 8th.
The Program, coordinated by Unicamp and the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), is the result of multi-institutional and international efforts to answer a key question about climate change: what are the effects of the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? , in organisms and in the Amazon ecosystem?
David Lapola, coordinator of AmazonFACE and researcher at the Center for Meteorological and Climatic Research Applied to Agriculture (Cepagri) at Unicamp, emphasizes that the Amazon is approaching what scientists call “tipping points”, a point of no return, in which the impacts of climate change will be irreversible and will lead to a drastic decrease in rainfall and an increase in temperatures, resulting in the savannization of the forest. "O tipping points should leave the Amazonian countries with their hair on end. Here, we will try to resolve this issue”, he concludes.
The event brought together, in Manaus, scientists, students, representatives from Unicamp and Inpa, financiers from MetOffice, the British Embassy, MCTI and FINEP, as well as employees and collaborators, who were thrilled to see part of the first phases of three towers aluminum panels assembled at Inpa's ZF2 experimental site, 70km from Manaus.
“Here, we intend to make history, a beautiful scientific history. It's difficult not to get emotional, because there's a lot of struggle, effort, studies, strategies and many challenges here. It is a dream that we are living every day, trying to understand how important the Amazon is for the human species”, said Bruno Takeshi Portela, researcher at Inpa and head of operations at AmazonFACE.
This experiment will consist of six rings, each made up of 16 aluminum towers, 30 meters in diameter. The towers have sensors that will emit up to 50% more of the atmospheric CO2 concentration already existing in forest fragments and measure carbon flows and storage in plants and soil, as well as their impacts on the water and nutrient cycle, on biodiversity and socioeconomic. Half of the rings will function as a control group.
“What we see today is an example that science cannot be done alone, it relies on collaborators, supporters, financiers and those who spend the night working to get us here and have a surprise like this, for the students who will be able to take advantage of this platform and who are already enjoying and producing such good quality science. This is for you, by you and because of you”, says Sabrina Garcia, leader of the AmazonFACE Scientific Office and postdoctoral fellow at Inpa.
The first 32 towers received funding of 2,25 million pounds (about R$17 million) from the British government, administered by MetOffice, the United Kingdom's National Weather Service. At the beginning of 2023, AmazonFACE is expected to celebrate the first installment of R$32 million of resources coming from the Transversal Action of the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FNDCT) of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCTI).
Two rings should come into operation in the first half of 2023, and the others, in 2024. Until then, the team of scientists continues collecting and analyzing data that has already generated more than 20 scientific articles in the first phase. "AmazonFACE will train new generations of scientists who will lead climate change research and influence public policy.", emphasized Carlos Alberto Quesada, Program coordinator and researcher at Inpa.
Learn more:
Tropical forest experiment begins in Campinas
The biggest climate problem in the Amazon is the point of no return, says researcher
