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Seed banks store dried seeds at sub-zero temperatures, aiming to preserve crop diversity for decades or even centuries. Facilities such as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, built into a mountainside in the Arctic, rely on naturally cold permafrost as a backup to mechanical refrigeration, reducing the risk of catastrophic failure during power outages. Seeds are dried to low moisture levels before storage, since moisture accelerates cellular decay and shortens viability. Curators periodically germinate small samples to test whether stock remains viable, replacing batches that fail. Critics note that seed banks cannot preserve the evolving relationship between crops and shifting local pests or climates, since stored seed is frozen in time rather than continuing to adapt in the field.