Zoom out to see where Cordova is located in Alaska. Zoom in to explore a satellite image of the Copper River Delta. This area to the southeast of Cordova is where the mighty Copper River meets the ocean. The river flows past two glaciers on the way downstream, and the milky tan color of the water is from the large amount of glacial silt (69 million tons per year!) it brings with it. Because the fresh river water is less dense than seawater, the suspended sediment swirls on the top of the ocean as the tides move in and out, creating the beautiful pattern you see in the satellite image.

This sediment is a key ingredient in our marine ecosystem in the delta. As a great source of iron, it provides the necessary nutrients for phytoplankton, the microscopic plants that form the foundation of the marine food chain, including our wild Copper River salmon.