Four five tonne Liebherr 85 EC-B tower cranes have been deployed at the Amazon FACE (Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) research site near Manaus, Brazil, to lift researchers and scientific equipment 45 metres above the rainforest canopy to carry out scientific experiments and measurements.
16 steel towers have been erected around six tower cranes each releasing controlled levels of CO2
The cranes are being used to access an intact area of old growth forest where scientists are exposing part of the rainforest to carbon dioxide concentrations projected for future decades, allowing them to monitor real time changes in the canopy, soils, biodiversity and carbon uptake. AmazonFACE says it chose tower cranes because each tower has a small footprint while still providing horizontal reach across the plots, reducing soil disturbance.
Bruno Takeshi, AmazonFACE operations lead, said: “Some phenomena that occurred very rarely began to be very frequent. The entire climate of the region started to become very abnormal.”
Bruno Takeshi (L) and Bruna Prisco Liebherr application engineer, Bruna Prisco added: “The four 85 EC-B 5 tower cranes were chosen precisely because they can withstand the extremes of heat and humidity and not disturb the habitat.”
The video below provides more insight into the AmazonFACE programme
Share this story
Comments
Register today in order to add your own comment, it barely takes a minute.
Comments