An unexpected thaw of Arctic permafrost let water into the famed “doomsday” seed vault 1,000 kilometers from the North Pole, reported Reuters. The water, halted in the entrance hall of the seed repository, “had no impact on millions of seeds of crops including rice, maize, potatoes and wheat that are stored more than 110 metres inside the mountainside,” said the news agency.
Norwegian officials said the Svalbard Global Seed Vault would undergo “technical improvements in connection with water intrusion.” The state-owned Statsbygg construction company, which built the vault, said it removed electrical equipment, considered a source of heat, from the entrance and was building waterproof walls inside the vault and ditches outside of it to channel away water.
A spokeswoman said the number of visitors will be reduced to lessen the heat radiated from human bodies. Although temperatures in the Arctic are rising as part of climate change, the Crop Trust, which works with Norway to run the vault, says permafrost will continue to protect the mountainside where the vault was constructed. However, a Canadian charity said the water intrusion “re-affirms more than ever the critical importance of keeping seed diversity in farmers’ hands,” said Reuters.