Carbon experiment in Brazil's Amazon forest

Belem climate summit will witness a curious scientific experiment which will showcase the impact of climate caused by increasing presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Scientists are demonstrating in the Amazon forest area of Brazil, in the largest city, Manaus, in the region. Belem is the place where CoP30, the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC) summit will be held from November 10 to 21, and it is also the place where the Amazon River flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

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In Manaus, scientists have created six towers of steel, each one of them surrounding 50 to 70 trees. In each of these plots of trees, the scientists will increase the levels of carbon dioxide as estimated by different climate change models, to show what the effect would be in each case.

The tropical forest, of which the Amazon forest is the prime example, is known for its ability to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. What is being tested in the experiment is how much carbon dioxide can the tropical forest absorb, and release oxygen into the air. The experiment of raising carbon levels in particular spots has been going in different parts of the world, including in the United States. But this is the first time that a controlled carbon experiment is being conducted in a tropical forest.