In order to prevent the loss of certain seed genes during large-scale regional or global crises and to further preserve and back up seed samples, the Norwegian government has built a non-profit storage facility on the Svalbard Islands in the Arctic Ocean to preserve crop seeds from around the world. This is the world's largest seed bank.



The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is built 120 meters inside a sandstone mountain along the permafrost area of the Svalbard Islands. The building is designed to withstand an earthquake with a magnitude of 10.0 on the Richter scale. It is also covered with permafrost year-round, so that even if the ice cap on the island melts, the seed vault can still keep the equipment and buildings dry.

Since coal is mined in Svalbard, there is a source of raw material to power the Seed Bank's refrigerators, which can further cool the seeds to the optimal temperature of -18°C. Even if the refrigerator breaks down, it will take weeks for the temperature to rise back to the local temperature of -3°C, and it is estimated that it will take 2 centuries to rise back to 0°C. According to the feasibility assessment before the establishment of the seed bank, the seed bank can preserve seed samples for hundreds of years, and some important crops can maintain viability for thousands of years. It can be called the Noah's Ark of crops.



In this episode, we see what kind of cars people in the world's northernmost city drive, driving on the Arctic's special means of transport, speeding through the pure white and cold Anland Islands...