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

Here it is, #AntarcticLog #210, a small piece about a big deal — Antarctic krill. #AntarcticLog is just a series of small pieces, but one thing I love about it is that, over the nearly five years that I’ve been doing it, I’ve built up a library to draw on in order to support current ideas.  

Want to know more about the food chain that krill’s a vital part of?  Here’s a post from my first year of learning, drawing, and writing about Antarctica — a view of the food chain mentioned in the new krill comic. 

The #AntarcticLog comic series began as a way to tell stories about invisible science — such as the efforts of the Bigelow Lab team with whom I worked at Palmer Station to understand how the phytoplankton Phaeocystis antarctica respond to conditions. 

That takes care of what krill eats.  But who dines on krill? Here’s a sampling of penguin predators — who, themselves, make a nice pie for somebody else. 

Simple science? Sure.  But as vital as krill themselves.  

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