Svalbard was chosen as the location for the Doomsday Seed Vault.
DV
because the permafrost.
d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55
c94868ce-6e6e-472b-9ad7-59a9e8469fa4
cf7e4195-07aa-4677-bb6b-e0696133677a
and arctic cold can keep the seeds viable in the event of a natural or manmade disaster.
There is little tectonic activity.
b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638
d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55
c94868ce-6e6e-472b-9ad7-59a9e8469fa4
cf7e4195-07aa-4677-bb6b-e0696133677a
The island is a demilitarized zone and Norway is not at war.
Being above 130 meters above sea level protects it from floods,.
b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638
c94868ce-6e6e-472b-9ad7-59a9e8469fa4
cf7e4195-07aa-4677-bb6b-e0696133677a
even if a significant parts of the ice sheets at the Poles melt.
d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55
The DV was built between 2006 and 2008 under the auspices of the UN.
b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638
d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55
cf7e4195-07aa-4677-bb6b-e0696133677a
The $9.6 million project was financed by the Bill Gates and Rockefeller foundations and others.
When constructing the facility, the designers modeled the world 200 years into the future.
d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55
The DV can accommodate 4.5 million species of plants and the bunker’s 3 rooms can hold 2.25 billion seeds.
It contains 865 thousand seed samples from more than 5 thousand plant species from 217 countries.
b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638
d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55
The temperature is maintained at -18 °C to prevent the seeds from sprouting and slow down aging.
d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55
Among them are rice, barley, lentils, wheat, beans, and others necessary for life.
The first 7,000 seeds were provided by African countries.
372d3bf9-8575-4b6b-bcd6-b3240b16ad96
The DV has five explosion-proof doors with combination locks.
Between them there are hermetic vestibules with airlock chambers.
The DV is equipped with motion sensors.
The 1-meter thick walls are to withstand an earthquake or a nuclear strike.
Polar bears provide an extra “level of security.”.
d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55
In October 2016, when the weather was unusually warm with a lot of rain, water got into a room at the DV entrance where there are passages leading to walls with boxes in which seeds are stored.
Since then, drainage ditches were built to drain meltwater from the mountain and counteract rainfall.
They are also building a waterproof wall in the tunnel as additional protection for the shelves with seeds.
114babd4-891c-4f49-a86c-863539cebb3d
In 2018, Norway planned to upgrade the DV to construct a new access tunnel and service building to house emergency power, refrigeration units and other equipment.
aa9f5575-2e65-4516-b4b9-584d08a87c00
The $13 million.
[aa9f]. upgrade is due to the Arctic warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet.
49b60533-9c91-435a-94c1-dfc5f7f14ca4
Syria, due to its civil war.
[d92e]. , requested seeds from cereal varieties native to drought-resistant regions of the Middle East.
b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638
d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55
aa9f5575-2e65-4516-b4b9-584d08a87c00

Warning: these questons and answers are not all representative of the way questions will be asked and answered in the pilot, because some questions are compound and some answers do not include citations.

Q: Why was Svalbard chosen as the location for the DV?
A: the permafrost [d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55, c94868ce-6e6e-472b-9ad7-59a9e8469fa4, cf7e4195-07aa-4677-bb6b-e0696133677a]A: arctic cold [b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638, d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55, c94868ce-6e6e-472b-9ad7-59a9e8469fa4, cf7e4195-07aa-4677-bb6b-e0696133677a]A: little tectonic activity. [b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638, d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55, c94868ce-6e6e-472b-9ad7-59a9e8469fa4, cf7e4195-07aa-4677-bb6b-e0696133677a]A: The island is a demilitarized zone and Norway is not at war. [b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638]A: above 130 meters above sea level protects it from floods [b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638, c94868ce-6e6e-472b-9ad7-59a9e8469fa4, cf7e4195-07aa-4677-bb6b-e0696133677a]

Q: When was the DV built?
A: between 2006 and 2008. [b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638, d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55, cf7e4195-07aa-4677-bb6b-e0696133677a]

Q: Who led the project?
A: The UN [b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638, d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55, cf7e4195-07aa-4677-bb6b-e0696133677a]

Q: Who financed the project?
A: The Bill Gates and Rockefeller foundations among others [d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55]

Q: How much did the initial project cost?
A: $9 million [d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55]

Q: How many seeds or genetic material have been stored in Svalbard's Doomsday Vault?
A: It contains 865 thousand seed samples from more than 5 thousand plant species from 217 countries. [b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638, d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55]

Q: What types of seeds are being kept?
A: rice, barley, lentils, wheat, beans, and others necessary for life. [372d3bf9-8575-4b6b-bcd6-b3240b16ad96]

Q: Who provided the first seeds?
A: The first 7,000 seeds were provided by African countries. [372d3bf9-8575-4b6b-bcd6-b3240b16ad96]

Q: How much could the DV accommodate?
A: 4.5 million species of plants and the bunker’s 3 rooms can hold 2.25 billion seeds. [b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638, d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55]

Q: At what temperature is the facility kept and why?
A: The temperature is maintained at -18 °C to prevent the seeds from sprouting and slow down aging. [d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55]

Q: What are the facility’s security features?
A: The DV has five doors with combination locks, and are explosion-proof. Hermetic vestibules with airlock chambers. motion sensors. 1 meter thick walls to withstand an earthquake, or a nuclear strike. [d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55]

Q: What animal is considered an extra layer of security?
A: Polar bears [d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55]

Q: Why did Norway decide to upgrade the facility?
A: Warm weather and rain caused water to leak into the facility. [114babd4-891c-4f49-a86c-863539cebb3d]A: The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. [49b60533-9c91-435a-94c1-dfc5f7f14ca4]

Q: How much will the upgrade cost?
A: $13 million [aa9f5575-2e65-4516-b4b9-584d08a87c00]

Q: What will the upgrade consist of?
A: Drainage ditches to drain meltwater and counteract rainfall. A waterproof wall in the tunnel as additional protection for the shelves with seeds. [114babd4-891c-4f49-a86c-863539cebb3d]A: new access tunnel and service building to house emergency power, refrigeration units and other equipment. [aa9f5575-2e65-4516-b4b9-584d08a87c00]

Q: Has any country or individual used material from the DV to replenish their seed stock and why?
A: Syria, due to its civil war [d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55]A: requested seeds from cereal varieties [b0261614-5d71-47ba-95e8-a2147b681638, d92e54e2-45f5-45e3-b416-1680091e5a55, aa9f5575-2e65-4516-b4b9-584d08a87c00]