Editing Cook Inlet (section)

==Resources==
[[File:OilRig.jpg|thumb|Oil Rig and Packraft on Cook Inlet]]
[[The Cook Inlet Basin]] contains large oil and gas deposits including several offshore fields.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.cookinletoilandgas.org/kpb/history.htm
|title=Cook Inlet Oil and Gas
|access-date=2007-02-03
|archive-date=2007-02-05
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205175113/http://www.cookinletoilandgas.org/kpb/history.htm
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>    As of 2005 there were 16 platforms in Cook Inlet, the oldest of which is the ''XTO A'' platform first installed by [[Royal Dutch Shell|Shell]] in 1964, and newest of which is the ''Osprey'' platform installed by Forest Oil in 2000.  Most of the platforms are operated by Union Oil, which was acquired by Chevron in 2005. There are also numerous oil and gas pipelines running around and under the Cook Inlet.  The main destinations of the gas pipelines are to Kenai where the gas is primarily used to fuel commercial fertilizer production and a liquified natural gas (LNG) plant and to Anchorage where the gas is consumed largely for domestic uses.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.agrium.com/print_version/company_profile/our_operations/791.jsp
|title=Kenai, Alaska plant
|publisher=agrium.com
|access-date=2007-02-03
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061014212202/http://www.agrium.com/print_version/company_profile/our_operations/791.jsp| archive-date = October 14, 2006}}</ref>

Alaska has approximately half the known coal reserves in the U.S. For decades, there has been a proposal to build a large coal mine (the [[Chuitna Coal Project|Chuitna Coal Mine]]) on the west side of Cook Inlet near the [[Chuitna River (Alaska)|Chuitna River]], and the native village of [[Tyonek|Tyonek, Alaska]]. [[American Rivers]] placed the [[Chuitna River (Alaska)|Chuitna River]] on its list of [[America's Ten Most Endangered Rivers]] of 2007, based on the threat of this mine.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.inletkeeper.org/energy/ChuitnaCoalWebpage.htm
|title=Chuitna Coal Mine
|publisher=inletkeeper.org
|access-date=2007-05-13
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070701050924/http://www.inletkeeper.org/energy/ChuitnaCoalWebpage.htm| archive-date = July 1, 2007}}</ref>

[[File:Turnagain-bore.jpg|thumb|The [[Tidal bore|bore]] appears as a wall of turbulent water]]
Turnagain Arm is one of only about 60 bodies of water worldwide to exhibit a [[tidal bore]]. The bore may be more than {{convert|6|ft|spell=in}} high and travel at {{convert|15|mph}} on high [[spring tide]]s and opposing winds. Turnagain Arm sees the largest [[tidal range]] in United States, with a mean of {{convert|30|ft}}, and the fourth highest in the world, behind [[Bay of Fundy]] ({{cvt|11.7|m|order=flip|disp=comma}}), [[Ungava Bay]] ({{cvt|9.75|m|ftin|order=flip|disp=comma|0}}), and [[Bristol Channel]] ({{cvt|9.6|m|ft|order=flip|disp=comma}}).<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/faq2.html#26
|title=Frequently Asked Questions – Tide Predictions and Data
|publisher=NOAA
|access-date=2008-09-10 
}}</ref> The ocean's natural 12-hour 25-minute tidal cycle is close to Turnagain Arm's natural resonance frequency, which then reinforces the tide similar to water sloshing in a bathtub.  Tidal fluctuations in the main body of Cook Inlet, while not as extreme as the shallow and narrow Turnagain Arm, regularly reach {{convert|25|ft|m}} or more and exhibit currents in excess of {{convert|5|kn|lk=in}} at full tidal flow.  The inlet and its arms have been proposed as a potentially attractive site for the generation of [[tidal power]].<ref>{{cite web
 |title      = Tidal Energy
 |publisher  = Ocean Energy Council
 |url        = http://www.oceanenergycouncil.com/index.php/Tidal-Energy/Tidal-Energy.html
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080513175027/http://www.oceanenergycouncil.com/index.php/Tidal-Energy/Tidal-Energy.html
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-date = 2008-05-13
 |access-date = 2008-11-11
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal
  | first1 = M.
  | last1 = Salequazzaman
  | first2 = Peter
  | last2 = Newman <!--  | author2-link = Peter Newman{{Disambiguation needed|date=October 2012}} -->
  | first3 = Mark
  | last3 = Ellery <!--  | author3-link = Mark Ellery -->
  | first4 = Brendan
  | last4 = Corry <!--  | author4-link = Brendan Corry -->
  | title = Prospects of electricity from tidal power in coasl regions of Bangladesh | place = Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia
  | journal = Journal of Bangladesh Studies
  | url = http://www.bdix.net/sdnbd_org/world_env_day/2004/bangladesh/document/jbs_june2000_salequzzaman.pdf
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120215212342/http://www.bdix.net/sdnbd_org/world_env_day/2004/bangladesh/document/jbs_june2000_salequzzaman.pdf
  | archive-date = 15 February 2012
  | url-status = dead}}</ref>

[[File:Cook Inlet, near Anchorage, Alaska.JPG|thumb|left|The mouth of Turnagain Arm at low tide in winter; thousands of icebergs lie stranded on vast plains of glacial silt]]
Turnagain Arm and Knik Arm are known for large areas of [[silt]]. At low tide, much of this is exposed, making marine navigation difficult. Historically, ships and boats designed for the area had a relatively flat bottom with a modest centerboard and absence of a large keel because the boats would occasionally become beached at low tide either on purpose or by accident. This design allowed the craft to support its weight on land without sustaining any serious damage to its structure. An example of this design is the Nomad, a much photographed fishing boat once owned by Joe Reddington which has sat on a mudflat near Knik for several decades.

These [[mudflat]]s can also be dangerous to walk on, exhibiting [[quicksand]]-like characteristics, and have claimed the life of at least four people who have wandered out on them, usually tourists, with many more being rescued every year.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lemagie |first=Sarah |title=Unusual Turnagain Arm tide has attractions and dangers |newspaper=[[Anchorage Daily News]] |date=May 5, 2005 |url=http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/6455051p-6334964c.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050505162612/http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/6455051p-6334964c.html |archive-date=May 5, 2005 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Michelle |last=Theriault Boots |date=June 25, 2013|title=Man who died on mud flats was Army attorney, outdoorsman|url=http://www.adn.com/2013/06/24/2951466/body-recovered-of-man-missing.html|newspaper=[[Anchorage Daily News]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201082547/http://www.adn.com/2013/06/24/2951466/body-recovered-of-man-missing.html|archive-date=February 1, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/alaska-mud-flats-silt-drowning-96bba1b5a8a463118e3a886ae2b01499 |work=AP News |agency=Associated Press |title=‘Mother Nature has no mercy': Man gets stuck waist-deep in Alaska mud flats, drowns as tide comes in |last=Thiessen |first=Mark |date=May 24, 2023 |access-date=January 24, 2024}}</ref>

[[Cruise ship]]s dock at [[Seward, Alaska|Seward]] on the [[Gulf of Alaska]] or [[Whittier, Alaska|Whittier]] in [[Prince William Sound]] and transport passengers via bus or train to Anchorage. However, over 95% of freight entering Alaska comes through the [[Port of Anchorage]], which is served by major [[container ship]] companies and other carriers.