Biology and the Atmosphere: Some Research aspects around the Amazonian very tall tower observatory

Jürgen KESSELMEIER (Mainz): The exchange between the atmosphere and the biosphere is one of the most important drivers in the various areas of the earth system and contributes greatly to the feedback cycles of the environ-ment that influence the climate on our planet. The largest rainforest on Earth is located in the Ama-zon River Basin and covers roughly 40 percent of the South American continent. Given this large forest system, research has been intensified within the last 30 years and has led to the construction of the Amazonian Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) 150 km North-East Manaus which consists of a very tall tower (>325m) operational since 2016 and accompanied by two 80m towers operated since 2012. The talk will cover some aspects of planning, construction and research that have been car-ried out on the site.. Goals and measurements at ATTO contribute to the carbon cycle research as well as to atmospheric chemistry and physics. New research directions exploit the uptake of car-bonyl sulfide (OCS) for a carbon dioxide independent assessment of Gross Primary Productivity (GPP). The analysis of biogenic (organic) trace gas emissions add to our understanding of the high-ly complex atmospheric processes associated to aerosol production, cloud condensation and atmo-spheric water transport.