On 26 February 2008, the global seed vault near Longyearbyen was officially opened. The Norwegian minister for agriculture and food will be in Longyearbyen on Tuesday to mark the 5th anniversary of the vault. The opening in 2008 attracted worldwide media attention. Since then, more than 770,000 seed samples from most countries on the globe have been stored in the 3 halls, which are supposed to accommodate at least 1.5 million samples in the future. The natural temperature of the surrounding permafrost is -3 to -4 degrees centigrade. The temperature of the seed vault is constantly kept near -18 degrees.
The entrance is not far from the airport. It is easily seen and accessible by road. The interior is not accessible for the general public.
The vault is largely financed by, amongst others, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, but also by global companies such as Monsanto, who are otherwise not known as guardians of biodiversity.
The entrance to the seed vault near Longyearbyen.
This and other publishing products of the Spitsbergen publishing house in the Spitsbergen-Shop.
Norwegens arktischer Norden (1): Spitzbergen
Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German. [shop url="https://shop.spitzbergen.de/en/polar-books/70-norwegens-arktischer-norden-1-aerial-arctic-9783937903262.html"] ← Back
Lofoten, Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen from the air - Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German, but there is very little text, so I am sure that you will enjoy it regardless which languages you read (or not).
The companion book for the Svalbardhytter poster. The poster visualises the diversity of Spitsbergen‘s huts and their stories in a range of Arctic landscapes. The book tells the stories of the huts in three languages.
Comprehensive guidebook about Spitsbergen. Background (wildlife, plants, geology, history etc.), practical information including travelling seasons, how to travel, description of settlements, routes and regions.
Join an exciting journey with dog, skis and tent through the wintery wastes of East Greenland! We were five guys and a dog when we started in Ittoqqortoormiit, the northernmost one of two settlements on Greenland’s east coast.
12 postcards which come in a beautifully designed tray. Beautiful images from South Georgia across Antarctica from the Antarctic Peninsula to the Ross Sea and up to Macquarie Island and Campbell Island.