Endless Sunrise

Doctoral candidate Melissa Patrician captured this stunning sunrise over the Southern Ocean at 1:47 a.m. in late November 2011. With nearly 24 hours of sunlight aboard the R/V Laurence M. Gould, the science party observed plenty of spectacular light shows while looking for salps, a jelly-like form of zooplankton that is traditionally found in warmer waters. As water temperatures rise, salps are taking a more prominent place in the Antarctic ecosystem. This shift has potential ramifications for krill— and the whales that eat them. (Photo by Melissa Patrician, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)