#AntarcticLog is a series of comics by Karen Romano Young. You can find the originals here. 

#AntarcticLog science comics were begun in 2017, with the support of the National Science Foundation Antarctic Artists and Writers Program.  I was intended to be a space where I could document my journey to and work at Palmer Station, on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Palmer Station sits right at the ocean’s edge, at the foot of the Marr Ice Piedmont — the foothills of the glacier. In just decades, the ice has receded at least a quarter of a mile, revealing hidden islands. At the same time, conditions have led penguins and other resident fauna and flora to alter their migrations and nesting patterns. It didn’t take me long to realize that everything at Palmer has to do with climate change.  The Antarctic Peninsula is warming at a rate five times that of the rest of the world — and demonstrates the future if climate change cannot be stemmed through human action.

It didn’t take long for #AntarcticLog to expand to embrace any and all research involved in climate change, along with public policy and activism concerning human response. Here are two sample public policy comics from the past four years.

And this week’s #AntarcticLog comic tells of the European Union’s breaking decision to lead on climate change policy.  What’s next? Who’s next? Wait and see.

–Karen Romano Young is a writer, artist, deep-sea diver, and polar explorer. Follow her on Twitter & Instagram.