The Open Passage Expedition is harnessing the power of social media to document the effect global warming is having on the Arctic during its revolutionary voyage across Canada’s once-frozen Northwest Passage.

Utilizing GPS tracking and communication equipment provided by Blue Sky Network and the Iridium mobile satellite service, the Open Passage crew has updated their blog, Facebook, and Twitter feeds, keeping their fans up to date with activities in real-time.

On June 6, Open Passage’s 40-foot yacht, the Silent Sound, embarked on what will be a four-month journey through the Arctic with the goal of drawing attention to climate change. Through their Twitter feed, Open Passage’s crew has shared with the public the spotting of whales and black bears, as well as safe navigation through narrow passages. Apart from viewing the crew’s updates on social media channels, the public can also accurately follow Open Passage’s voyage live via Blue Sky Network’s Yahoo-powered map.

“As far as we know, we are the first ‘Twitter-ers’ to use the service while sailing through the Arctic. We are amazed at how easy it is to document everything we are encountering and immediately share it with the rest of the world,” said Cameron Dueck, Captain of the Open Passage Expedition.

Blue Sky Network’s D2000 device enables the Silent Sound’s crew to update their Twitter status using Twittermail, a Twitter application that updates status via emailed ‘tweets’ from the vessel. The crew types messages into the D2000 via a laptop connected to the device’s ethernet port.

The messages are then transmitted by modem to a designated email account and automatically synced with Open Passage’s Twitter feed. The device is engineered to withstand Arctic-type environments, and as it operates on Iridium’s global satellite network, it allows the crew to stay in contact with the rest of the world regardless of their locale.