A tropical downpour doesn't stop Stanford University researchers from water monitoring at Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

Palmyra Atoll, a refuge for seabird breeding colonies and coral reef communities, is part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. The national monument received a big boost this week, when U.S. President Obama announced he was expanding its borders, turning the remote area into the world's largest marine reserve. (See "U.S. Creates Largest Protected Area in the World, 3X Larger Than California.")

—Photo Gallery by Nicole Werbeck, Text by Jane J. Lee and Christine Dell'Amore