The Southern Ocean Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (SO GLOBEC) program focused on understanding physical and biological factors that contribute to enhanced Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) growth, reproduction, recruitment, and survivorship. The extensive multidisciplinary data sets from SO GLOBEC are providing new and important insights and understanding of Antarctic marine ecosystems, such as 1) the role of circulation and sea ice in structuring Antarctic krill distributions, 2) understanding of the suite of overwintering mechanisms used by Antarctic krill, 3) knowledge of the importance of Circumpolar Deep Water in producing biological hot spots, 4) the effect of this biological production at all trophic levels, especially during winter, 5) the importance of alternative food webs and implications for carbon and nitrogen cycling, 6) the importance of fish as alternative food source for upper trophic level predators, and 7) the significance of climate variability at interannual and sub-decadal scales as a moderator of ecosystem processes. The recognition that larger scale processes affect regional physical and biological interactions provides a basis for the Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics (ICED) program. The knowledge and lessons learned from the SO GLOBEC program provide a strong basis for continuing into this next phase of Southern Ocean research.