The Svalbard Global Seed Vault: “Frozen Garden of Eden”

Photo: Mari Tefre/Svalbard Global Seed Vault

On Tuesday, February 26, 2008, in the cold Norwegian mountains, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault opened its doors for storage and operation of all of the world’s seed samples. [via]

The purpose of this seed bank is to preserve the world’s agricultural specimens in the event of any catastrophic circumstance (see: doomsday scenarios) or destruction by global climate change. On top of that, the Global Seed Vault is meant to stand as a backup for the other 1400 seed banks around the world — in case those fail.

The Norwegian government was responsible for footing the nearly $8 million cost of the seed vault. Other organizations such as The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are helping less fortunate countries with the seed packaging and delivery to the Global Seed Vault.

Here’s a brief description of the facility:

The facility consists of three separate underground chambers. Each chamber has the capacity to store 1,5 million different seed samples. With the aid of its own electric machinery, powered by electricity from the local power station, it will maintain a constant interior temperature of minus 18 degrees Celsius. The chambers will have storage shelving for prepacked examples of food seeds from the depositors (donor countries).

The storage chambers themselves are reached via an access tunnel about 100 metres long, with an entrance portal on its outside. The entrance portal will be the only visible part of the facility. It is in the form of a long, narrow concrete “fin”, with an entrance of brushed steel. An artistic decoration on the outer roof surface and on the upper part of the front will partly reflect the polar light and partly give off a muted, glowing light.

In total, the vault will be able to hold up to 4.5 million different seed samples, all of which is said to be housed in an ” almost endless lifetime” facility. Impressive!

The exterior entrance to the Global Seed Vault features the art installation of Dyveke Sanne. It is a series of mirrored surfaces that reflect the outside world. It reminds me a lot of Superman’s home planet.

Here’s a first look into the incomplete facility in August 2007. You get a brief tour of the building’s interior.

An ABC News report about the Global Seed Vault.

AP video news report: “Doomsday Vault Protects Seeds of Life”