Science Alert March 27, 2019
The global seed ark, popularly known as the “Doomsday Vault”, is embedded deep in the permafrost of a northerly Norwegian island and stores nearly a million samples from around the world for safekeeping in the event of war, famine, disease, and climate change. It backs up gene banks around the globe and it is supposed to be indestructible, the frigid landscape serving as a natural coolant for the genetic material it protects. Climate change has been profoundly affecting the region, causing permafrost to melt, avalanches to strike, and, on one notable occasion, water to collect and freeze at the beginning of the tunnel to the vault. According to a report on climate change in the Svalbard archipelago by the Norwegian Center for Climate Services, released earlier this year, temperature increase will lead to drastic changes for the region, heavy rainfall will occur more frequently, avalanches, snow season will become shorter and mudslides will happen more often. According to NOAA The Arctic overall has been highly susceptible to climate change…read more.
Frode Ramone/Wikimedia/CC BY 2.