The Krill Observation Mooring for Benthic Investigation (KOMBI)

If you have spent any time reading articles about Antarctic science this year, I’m sure you’ve heard some mention of krill. Krill play a vital role in the worlds ecosystems by eating phytoplankton and thus converting plant energy into a form that is digestible to penguins, seals, squid and whales. Once the penguins, seals, squid and whales absorb the energy by eating the krill, they carry it up the food chain and all around the world.

Because krill are so valuable in the world’s oceans, they are a topic of great scientific interest. Past research suggests there could be up to 500 million tonnes of krill swimming around the Southern Ocean, but because of ocean acidification we can’t be sure these numbers are stable. Krill embryos are susceptible to the low Ph levels which are forecast to occur in the Southern Ocean. Because carbon dioxide dissolves well in cold water, this means that the polar oceans of the earth are going to be affected first, and this is bad news for krill.

But how do we keep tabs on krill population numbers? The Krill Observation Mooring for Benthic Investigation or KOMBI for short, is one way. The KOMBI’s are designed to sit beneath the sea ice for 12 months at a time and record key environmental parameters such as temperature, depth, conductivity (salinity) and currents while listening for marine mammals and most importantly videoing krill behavior.

We at CLS Oceania are thrilled to be a part of the project and can’t wait to see what information it uncovers.

Oceanographic Engineer Alan Kemp loads KOMBI #003 onto the CLS work ute