Das Projekt "Support for Tropical Atmospheric Research (STAR)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut durchgeführt. The objective of the proposed STAR project (Support for Tropical Atmospheric Research) is to strengthen the European contribution to the global observation system, and to support international cooperation in setting up these observation systems in the tropics. It is a joint effort of European, Japanese, and American research groups to establish a shared atmospheric observatory in Paramaribo, Suriname at the northern coast of South America at 5.8 degree N and 55.2 degree W. The location of the observatory is unique because of the fact that it lies very close to the Equator, at a location in the middle of the annual migration range of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Prime Contractor: Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut; De Bilt; Netherlands.