Forest fires, heat waves, storms – climate change is showing its consequences this summer. Many hopes therefore rest on the rainforest and its ability to absorb CO2. But measurements by the Brazilian researcher Luciana Gatti show that what is probably the most important ecosystem in the world emits greenhouse gases itself.
By Andrea Claudia Hoffman
Before Luciana Gatti climbs into her little jungle plane, she leaves both doors open so that the wind from the propellers can blow the oven-baked heat of the Amazon out of the cramped cabin. Only when the pilot breaks through the cloud layer does it finally get cooler. With every meter of altitude on the display, the temperature in the cockpit drops, and the sweat on Gatti’s skin cools.
Now the researcher can start her work high above the green canopy of the Amazon. The atmospheric physicist wants to measure greenhouse gases directly in the air. From a silver suitcase she pulls out several glass flasks with sensitive valves that open and close at the push of a button. The researcher uses this to capture the air – always at a specific, mapped point, but at different heights, while the pilot rushes further and further down in a steep descent, describing several spirals.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
