Deep in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, scientists have launched a groundbreaking experiment dubbed a climate "time machine." The project, named AmazonFACE, is designed to simulate the atmosphere of the future by pumping carbon dioxide into the rainforest canopy, offering a critical preview of how this vital biome might adapt to changing conditions .
Located near Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon, the project site features six imposing rings of steel towers that loom over the jungle canopy, each surrounding groups of 50 to 70 mature trees . After initial baseline testing, scientists will fumigate the trees within three of these rings with carbon dioxide levels that simulate climate forecasts for the coming decades, specifically targeting concentrations about 50% higher than current levels to represent the anticipated atmosphere of 2050 and 2060 . The remaining three rings will serve as untouched control samples, providing a baseline for comparison to accurately measure the effects of the enriched CO2 .
The technique, known as FACE (Free-Air CO2 Enrichment), has been used in temperate biomes in the United States and other countries, but the AmazonFACE initiative marks its first large-scale application in a natural, highly biodiverse tropical forest . "This is the first experiment in a natural forest of this size in the tropics," said forestry engineer Gustavo Carvalho, highlighting the pioneering nature of this research . The project is a collaborative effort led by Brazil's National Institute for Amazon Research (INPA) and the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, with support from the Brazilian and United Kingdom governments .
With baseline testing already underway, a sophisticated network of sensors records the forest's response to changing conditions every 10 minutes . These sensors track how the tree foliage absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen and water vapor in response to environmental factors like rain, storms, and sunshine . This real-time data will allow researchers to study carbon fluxes, nutrient cycling, water flow, and biodiversity, providing a comprehensive understanding of how a rising CO2 environment affects the entire rainforest ecosystem.
The findings from AmazonFACE are poised to play a pivotal role at the upcoming COP30 United Nations climate summit, scheduled for November 10-21 in Belém, Brazil, a city at the mouth of the Amazon River . The experiment directly addresses a central uncertainty in climate science: whether the Amazon, a crucial carbon sink that absorbs a quarter of the CO2 taken up by land each year, will remain resilient or succumb to the pressures of a changing climate . The research will provide invaluable insights for global policymakers as they grapple with strategies to protect tropical rainforests, which are essential for curbing the worst effects of climate change .