Ed Cassano – former director of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and former commanding officer of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary – is leading a weeklong expedition to the historic Northwest Passage in order to set up a four-year ship-based expedition to study the societal and ecosystem impacts of global warming in the Arctic. Integrated Marine Education and Research Expeditions (InMER) is funded by private grants, including a twin-engine plane from Santa Barbara local Bob Duncan.
