ATTO is a joint project between Germany and Brazil, coordinated by the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry and Brazil's National Institute of Amazonian Research. The initial construction cost of 8.4 million euros was shared roughly equally between the two nations. Over twenty research institutes and universities now participate in the work conducted here, making ATTO one of the most international research facilities in the Amazon basin.

The site lies roughly 150 kilometers northeast of Manaus, accessible only by unpaved roads through dense rainforest. Construction began in 2009 with two 80-meter towers that became operational in 2012. The main tower followed, its construction starting in 2014 and completing in 2015. Every piece of the structure had to be transported into the jungle and lifted into place above the canopy, a logistical challenge that rivals the scientific work itself.

The tower bristles with instruments measuring everything from carbon dioxide concentrations to the particles that seed clouds above the rainforest. Researchers can sample air from ground level to 325 meters above, tracking how the forest exchanges gases with the atmosphere throughout the day and across seasons. Additional facilities include climate-controlled laboratory containers, a base camp, and nearby study sites for vegetation and soil research. The data gathered here helps calibrate global climate models and track the Amazon's response to a changing world.