Water entered the Doomsday Vault, so a restoration process has started to protect the seeds
(Mirror Daily, United States) – In 2008, the Norwegian government built a vault on the Svalbard Archipelago to preserve seeds of the most vital crops on Earth. The Doomsday Vault is meant to help us survive in case a huge calamity befalls Earth and impairs all vegetation. Officials detected water collecting in an access tunnel, so they quickly started a restoration process to prevent the deterioration of the seeds.
The water was spotted at the entrance of the vault. The building starts with a tunnel measuring 100 meters in length, which leads to the safe place where seeds are kept. Among the main crops which the vault preserves, there is wheat, maize, or rice. The enclosure is a sort of Noah’s Ark who ensures crop biodiversity on Earth in case of a natural catastrophe.
Water entered the access tunnel to the vault
However, the effects of global warming have showed their face. Since temperatures have increased, the snow layer started melting at a more rapid pace than usual. Moreover, last autumn was unusually rainy, and all led to water collecting near the entrance of the vault and invading the building. Fortunately, it did not reach the seeds.
Hege Njaa Aschim, from the Directorate of Public Construction and Property, said that they noticed the water collecting near the vault in October. This is not the first time when something like this happens, so the officials decided to start a restoration process.
Taking measures to keep the seeds safe
They are planning to remove all sources of heat which surround the vault and the tunnel leading to the seeds. Also, they want to limit the access of visitors, as even the presence of humans might constitute a heat source. Even so, melt water might still accumulate near the building, so they will build special ditches for draining.
The Norwegian government is planning to finish all these restoration measurements by the end of the year. Keeping the crop reserves safe is vital, as a calamity might strike Earth when we least expect it.
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