Cook Inlet (Dena'ina: Tikahtnu ) stretches 180 miles (290 km) from Alaska Bay to Anchorage in southern Alaska. Cooking the Inlet branch to the Kag Arm and Turnagain Arms at the north end, almost around Anchorage. At the southern end it blends with the Shelikof Strait, Stevenson Entrance, Kennedy Entrance, and Chugach Passage.
The watershed covers about 100,000 km² from southern Alaska, east of the Aleutian Mountains, south and east of the Alaska Range, receiving water from the Knik rivers, Little Susitna River, and the Susitna and Matanuska rivers. The watershed includes the Denali drainage area (formerly Mount McKinley). In the watershed there are several national parks and active volcanoes of Mount Redoubt, along with three other historically active volcanoes. Cook Inlet provides navigable access to the Anchorage harbor on the north end, and to the smaller Homer harbor to the south. Prior to the growth of Anchorage, Knik was the destination for most of the sea traffic in the upper Cook Inlet. Approximately 400,000 people live in the Cook Inlet watershed.
Video Cook Inlet
Geography
The Cook Inlet region contains an active volcano, including Augustine Volcano and Mount Redoubt. Volcanic eruptions in the region have been linked to earthquakes and tsunamis, and avalanches of the remnants have resulted in tsunamis as well. There was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake on December 31, 1901 produced by an eruption that caused several tsunamis. In 2009 a lava from Mt. Redoubt threatens the Drift River oil terminal.
Maps Cook Inlet
History
The entry channel was first explored and completed by Dena'ina people. In the 18th century, the Russian feather hunter (promyshlenniki) was among the first European visitors. Leader Lebedev Lastochkin Company Stepan Zaikov established a post at the mouth of the Kenai River, Fort Nikolaev, in 1786. These trappers used indigenous Siberians and native Alaskans, mainly Aleuts from the Aleutian Islands and Native Koniag from Kodiak, for sea otters hunting and other marine mammal species to trade with China through Russia's inland rural trade port which is then exclusively in Kiakhta.
Other Europeans visiting Cook Inlet include James Cook's 1778 expedition, namesake, who sailed into it while searching for the Northwest Passage. Cook received Alaska, Aleutians and Kamchatka maps during a visit with Russian feather merchant Gerasim Izmailov in Unalaska, and combined this map with the people of his expedition to create the first Mercator projections in the North Pacific. The entry channel was named after Cook in 1794 by George Vancouver, who had served under Cook in 1778. Turnagain Arm was named by William Bligh of HMS Bounty of fame. Bligh served as Cook's Cooking Master on his 3rd and final voyage, whose goal was the invention of the Northwest Passage.
After reaching Cook Inlet's head, Bligh argues that both Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm are the mouth of the river and not an opening to the Northwest Passage. Under Cook's orders, Bligh organized a party to travel to Knik Arm, who quickly reported back that Knik Arm was just headed for the river.
After that, the second party is sent to the Turnagain Arm and it also returns to report only the river that lies ahead. As a result of this frustration, the second water body was given a dishonest name â € <â € <"Turn Again". Label the starting map of Turnagain Arm as "Turnagain River".
S.S. Farallon is the ship of an Alaska Steamship company that crashed into the Black Reef in Cook Inlet on January 5, 1910. All thirty-eight people were on board and saved twenty-nine days later. Some white people visited the top Cook Inlet until the construction of the Alaska Railroad along the east coast of Turnagain Arm and the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet circa 1915. The original inhabitants of Eklutna village were descendants of the original eight villagers around the Upper Cook Inlet.
During the Alaska earthquake of 1964, the area around the Turnagain Arms head near Girdwood and Portage fell by 8 feet (2.4 m) with subsequent tidal and subsequent downs. Both hamlets were destroyed. Girdwood was then moved into the interior and Portage was abandoned. About 20 miles (32 km) from Seward Highway sank beneath the high water marks at Turnagain Arm; the highways and bridges were built and rebuilt in 1964-1966.
Community
Most of Alaska's inhabitants surround Cook Inlet, concentrated in Anchorage, the Alaska region and in communities on the Kenai Peninsula. The more remote west side of the inlet is not connected to the road system, and is home to the villages of Tyonek, Alaska, and a number of oil camps.
Resources
Cook Inlet Basin contains large oil and gas deposits including some offshore fields. In 2005 there were 16 platforms in Cook Inlet, the oldest of which was the first XMIN A platform installed by Shell in 1964, and the most recent was the Osprey platform installed by Forest Oil in 2000. Most of the platforms are operated by Union Oil, which Chevron acquired in 2005. There are also many oil and gas pipes running around and under Cook Inlet. The main purpose of the gas pipeline is to Kenai where the gas is mainly used for fuel production of commercial fertilizers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants and to Anchorage where gas is consumed largely for domestic use.
Alaska has about half the known coal reserves in the US For decades, there have been proposals to build a large coal mine (Chuitna Coal Mine) on the west side of Cook Inlet near the Chuitna River, and the original village of Tyonek, Alaska. American Rivers has placed the Chuitna River on its list of 10 most threatened rivers for 2007, under threat from this mine.
The Turnagain Arm is one of only about 60 bodies of water worldwide to show tidal holes. The hole may be over six meters and travel at 15 miles per hour on high spring tides and opposite winds. Turnagain Arm sees the largest tidal range in the United States, with an average of 30 feet (9.2 m), and the fourth highest in the world, behind Bay of Fundy (11.7 million), Ungava Bay (9.75 m) and Bristol Channel (9.6 m). The natural 24-hour tide in the ocean is close to the natural resonance frequency of the Turnagain Arm, which then amplifies waves similar to the water flowing in the bath. Tidal fluctuations in Cook Inlet's main body, though not as extreme as the shallow and narrow Turnagain Arms, regularly reach 25 feet (7.6 m) or more and show currents of more than 5 knots (9.3 km/h) at speed full. tidal flow. The inlets and arms have been proposed as potentially attractive sites for tidal power generation.
Turnagain Arm and Knik Arm are known for large areas of mud. At low tide, many of these are exposed, making marine navigation difficult. Historically, boats and boats designed for the area have relatively flat bases with simple centerboards and a large absence of keel because the ships sometimes become stranded at low tide either intentionally or by accident. This design allows the craft to support its weight on land without serious damage to its structure. An example of this design is Nomad, the much-photographed fishing vessel ever owned by Joe Reddington who has been sitting in the mud near Knik for decades.
This mud plain can also be dangerous to pass, exhibit characteristics like sand, and has claimed the lives of at least two people who wandered toward them.
Cruise ships anchored in Seward in the Gulf of Alaska or Whittier in Prince William Sound and transport passengers via bus or train to Anchorage. However, more than 95% of the goods that enter Alaska come through Anchorage Port, which is served by large container shipping companies and other operators.
Preservation
The Cook inlet Beluga whale is a stock that is genetically distinct and geographically isolated. The population has fallen to 278 in 2005 and they are listed as Very Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Iritic Species. Probably because of local hunting, although recent articles in Anchorage Daily News questioned this conclusion.
In 2000, the US Department of National Marine Fisheries registered a population of belugas Cook Inlet belugas that had run out and started the development of conservation plans. On October 22, 2008 beluga Cook Inlet whales were added to the list of endangered species.
Cook Inlet activities include commercial fishing, oil and gas development, release of treated waste, noise from planes and ships, shipping traffic, and tourism. However, it is unknown what impact this activity will have on the beluga whale population.
The Coastal Marine Institute at Alaska University Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences in collaboration with the US Department of Home Service's Minerals Management Department (MMS) started a three-year project in 2003 focusing on water circulation at Cook Inlet.
See also
- Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
- The Augustine Volcano
- Kalgin Island
- Arm Bridge Technique
- Lake Clark National Park
Note
External links
- United States, Alaska South Coast, Barren Islands National Marine Service
- United States, Alaska South Coast, Cook Inlet, Anchor Point to Kalgin Island National Ocean Service
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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