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Water leaks into 'Doomsday' seed vault

Water leaks into 'Doomsday' seed vault
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(CNN) - Last fall was so warm that water breached the so-called "Doomsday" Seed Vault in the Arctic.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is built in the mountains half-way between Norway and the North Pole on permafrost and is managed by the government of Norway.

The vault's purpose is to preserve the seeds of more than 930,000 different varieties of crops in case they are otherwise wiped out by some calamity.

Officials say that water seeped into the access tunnel, but the seeds were not harmed. 

In a news release, the vault managers said water intrusions are stopped by "pumps that work around the clook."

Still, vault managers plan to add waterproof walls and take other protective measures.

"Globally, the Seed Vault is, and will continue to be, the safest backup of crop diversity," the news release said. 

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