Bundle up. We’re going in!
There’s a reason more reindeer than people live in Svalbard, Norway. In a place like this, you need a built-in winter coat! But don’t worry. Just up ahead, a wedge-like structure rises out of the ice. Maybe someone inside is waiting with a pair of toasty slippers and a cup of hot cocoa. Maybe the heat is cranked way up.
Think again! Inside, the air conditioner is running! The temperature measures a chilly 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Brrrr!
Some people compare the Svalbard Global Seed Vault to a supervillain’s lair. And it looks like one! Workers built the vault 393 feet into a mountain. That means every room inside will remain chilly—no matter what happens outside. What if the climate grows much warmer? What if an asteroid hits Earth, knocking out Svalbard’s power? What if the nations of Earth have a nuclear war? Scientists thought about all these things before they chose to put the vault at Svalbard. Svalbard’s frigid climate makes it the perfect place for storing seeds. Permafrost covers the ground’s surface. That means each seed will remain chilly even if the AC goes out. It also means very little moisture will get in to spoil the seeds.
The Seed Vault’s builders spent $9 million on the vault. They wanted the vault to last 10,000 years. That makes people wonder: Is the Seed Vault our version of the pyramids? Will future civilizations peer into the vault to find out how we lived and what we thought was important?
If they do, they will know that we value one thing very much: food! Scientists have only just started filling the vault. They began with seeds that people absolutely need to live. Those include crops like barley, maize, and potatoes. It also holds crops that survive well, like Australian wild rice. If a disaster destroyed any major crop in the world, more disease-resistant seeds could be planted in its place. Right now, the vault holds about 556 million seeds. When it is full, it will contain 2.25 billion. So keep your winter coats on, scientists. You have a long way to go.
