![]() The icy permafrost melted due to temperature rise and it inundated the entrance, only fortunately it froze into a glacier and couldn’t touch the vault nor the seeds. However, as the expeditious global warming is marching onward, seed vault faced a recent breach in 2017. The vault is curved inside mountain permafrost because it’s considered failsafe, if any adversity dawns upon and there’s a power failure, permafrost’s natural temperature will safeguard the seeds. Airtight metal bags of aluminum with specialized 3-layered packaging are used to store dried seeds. This freezing temperature is a prerequisite to retain seed viability. How does it work?ġ,194,94 seed samples of 5,974 species are stocked in the frigid cold vaults, where temperature is cooled to -18☌elsius, and low humidity are maintained. They may be of little material worth but possess the potential of saving the earth from any possible irrevocable crop diversity loss. Inside the vault, roof-touching shelves are standing upright, containing boxes full of diverse seeds that traveled from tropical to the farthest corner of the earth. The tunnel terminates in a chamber, which commences 3 separate vault rooms, among which, only vault 2 aka the middle one is being used. The irradiated fiber optic art installations on the gateway leads to long cylindrical tunnel, more than 100 meters into the mountain. ![]() The vault was designed by Norwegian architect Peter W. Standing like a monolith, the vault’s quadrangular entrance is illuminated spectacularly. On the mystic island of Spitsbergen, the seed vault protrudes out of the permafrost of exalted Platåberget mountain. In addition, the tectonic plate under Svalbard is nearly seismically inactive along with an isolated geopolitical locus which ensures the seed vault’s invulnerability. ![]() This remote site was chosen premeditatedly based on its steady geology and geographical position and the climate being inordinately cold. It’s the northernmost zone one can land via regular commercial flight. This seed vault is located on the island of Spitsbergen, in the remote arctic Svalbard archipelago, Norway. Seed-fortress on the northernmost point of the earth? Yes! ![]() Source: NewScientistīut little do we know, this land is accommodating a treasure of immeasurable worth, world’s most precious collection of seeds on its faraway island Svalbard known as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault aka ‘Doomsday’ Vault, which is the largest seed vault in the world. What do you picture when the land of midnight sun, Norway crosses your mind? It must be white snowy terrain, crystal-like blue glaciers, magical dancing aurora, astounding fjords, wild polar bears, scenic landscapes, intriguing cultural heritage, and all the mind-boggling aspects. ![]()
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