Arctic vault of world’s seeds partially flooded

The vault on the island of Spitsbergen was thought to be impregnable; the protective layer of permafrost was intended as a natural barrier that could hold off natural and man-made disasters but due to high temperatures, the permafrost began to melt. “A lot of water went into the start of the tunnel and then it froze to ice, so it was like a glacier when you went in,” said Hege Njaa Aschim, an official from the Norwegian government.

The actual vault with the seeds hasn’t been breached, but this event came as a shock to the Norwegian government. “It was supposed to operate without the help of humans, but now we are watching the seed vault 24 hours a day,” Aschim said. “We must see what we can do to minimise all the risks and make sure the seed bank can take care of itself.”