AG百家乐在线官网

The home of the "Doomsday vault" - which stores the world's most precious seeds in case of a global disaster - is under threat from climate change, scientists have warned.

Temperatures in the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard, which houses the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, could rise by up to 10C (50F) before the end of the century, according to a new report.

The change in conditions over the next century will increase the likelihood of floods, avalanches and landslides in the area, it warned.

Inger Hanssen-Bauer, senior researcher at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and editor of the report, said the climate in Svalbard's capital Longyearbyen is probably warming faster than in any other town on Earth.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

1:00

The annual mean temperature in Longybearbyen in 1900 was -7.8C (18F) and since then, it has risen by 3.7C (39F) - more than three times the global average of about 1C (33.8F), she told CNN.

As well as rising sea temperatures, Svalbard could see a 45% to 65% increase in annual rainfall by 2100, the report by the Norwegian Centre for Climate Services said.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which is just outside Longyearbyen, was opened in 2008 to act as a back-up in case of a global catastrophe.

It holds close to 900,000 seed samples originating from almost every country in the world, from everyday staples including wheat and rice, to rare species such as the critically endangered Bermuda bean.

Unseasonably high temperatures in recent years have caused the permanently frozen ground the vault is built on - called permafrost - to melt, sending water into the access tunnel.

It prompted the vault to boost its flood defences, installing new waterproof walls in the tunnel and drainage ditches outside.

The vault is carved into solid rock, with the storage area located more than 100 metes inside the mountain and under layers of rock up to 60 metres thick.

The seeds are stored at a constant temperature of -18C (-0.4F).