Victoria Glenn Christensen
Victoria is a Research Hydrologist assigned to the Upper Midwest Water Science Center and the Assistant Program Coordinator for Outreach for the Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology Programs.
Biography
Victoria Christensen studies cyanotoxins, with a focus on the neurotoxins, anatoxin-a and saxitoxin. Cyanotoxins are produced by cyanobacterial harmful alglal blooms, which are sometimes called blue-green algae. Victoria received a B.A. from Hamline University, B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Kansas, and is finishing up her PhD at North Dakota State University. Her master’s research examined the occurrence and fate of dissolved solids, nutrients, atrazine, and bacteria in an agricultural watershed. Her dissertation research is on the triggers of neurotoxin production—looking at the environmental variables like wind and temperature that may trigger cyanobacteria to produce or release toxins. In addition to the study of harmful algae and their toxins, Victoria's interests and project work include real-time water-quality monitoring, effects of land use on water quality, the fate of nutrients in agricultural and reservoir systems, and reservoir sediment studies. She also has an interest in writing and communicating science topics to broad audiences and is a trainer and USGS Subject Matter Expert on Scientific Project Management.
Science and Products
Nutrients, suspended sediment, and pesticides in water of the Red River of the North Basin, Minnesota and North Dakota, 1990-2004
Nutrient, suspended sediment, and pesticide data from 1990 through 2004 in the Red River of the North Basin were compiled, summarized, and compared to historical data. Streamflow varied widely throughout the basin during the 1990-2004 study period. For 19 of 22 streamflow sites, median annual streamflow during the study period exceeded the long-...
Christensen, V.G.
Water quality and relation to taste-and-odor compounds in North Fork Ninnescah River and Cheney Reservoir, south-central Kansas, 1997-2003
Cheney Reservoir, the primary water supply for the city of Wichita in south-central Kansas, and its main source of inflow, the North Fork Ninnescah River, were sampled between 1997 and 2003 for sediment, nutrients, and the taste-and-odor-causing compounds geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB). It is believed that objectionable tastes and odors in...
Christensen, Victoria G.; Graham, Jennifer L.; Milligan, Chad R.; Pope, Larry M.; Ziegler, Andrew C.
Spatial variations in fish-tissue mercury concentrations in the St. Croix River basin, Minnesota and Wisconsin, 2004
Parts of the St. Croix River in Minnesota and Wisconsin are under fish-consumption advisories because of elevated mercury concentrations that have been measured in fish from this river. The U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, and the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse, cooperated in a study to determine the spatial variation of mercury...
Christensen, Victoria G.; Wente, Stephen P.; Sandheinrich, Mark B.; Brigham, Mark E.
Hydrologic and water-quality conditions in the Kansas River, northeast Kansas, November 2001-August 2002, and simulation of ammonia assimilative capacity and bacteria transport during low flow
Large concentrations of ammonia and densities of bacteria have been detected in reaches of the Kansas River in northeast Kansas during low streamflow conditions, prompting the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to list these reaches as water-quality limited with respect to ammonia and fecal coliform bacteria. Sources for ammonia...
Rasmussen, Patrick P.; Christensen, Victoria G.
Hydrologic conditions and lake-level fluctuations at Long Lost Lake, 1939-2004, White Earth Indian Reservation, Clearwater County, Minnesota
Long Lost Lake, a closed-basin lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota, has had a substantial rise in lake level since 1990. The increased level and surface area of the lake has led to the inundation of nearby homes and roads. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians, conducted a study to document the...
Christensen, Victoria G.; Bergman, Andrea L.
Effects of changes in reservoir operations on water quality and trophic state indicators in Voyageurs National Park, northern Minnesota, 2001-03
Implementation of an order by the International Joint Commission in January 2000 has changed operating procedures for dams that regulate two large reservoirs in Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota. These new procedures were expected to restore a more natural water regime and affect water levels, water quality, and trophic status. Results...
Christensen, Victoria G.; Payne, G.A.; Kallemeyn, Larry W.
Characterization of surface-water quality based on real-time monitoring and regression analysis, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, south-central Kansas, December 1998 through June 2001
Because of the considerable wildlife benefits offered by the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in south-central Kansas, there is a desire to ensure suitable water quality. To assess the quality of water flowing from Rattlesnake Creek into the refuge, the U.S. Geological Survey collected periodic water samples from December 1998 through June 2001...
Christensen, Victoria G.
Effects of artificial recharge on water quality in the Equus Beds Aquifer, south-central Kansas, 1995-2000
Ziegler, A.C.; Ross, H.C.; Trombley, T.J.; Christensen, V.G.
Regression analysis and real-time water-quality monitoring to estimate constituent concentrations, loads, and yields in the Little Arkansas River, south-central Kansas, 1995-99
Water from the Little Arkansas River is used as source water for artificial recharge to the Equus Beds aquifer, which provides water for the city of Wichita in south-central Kansas. To assess the quality of the source water, continuous in-stream water-quality monitors were installed at two U.S. Geological Survey stream-gaging stations to provide...
Christensen, Victoria G.; Jian, Xiaodong; Ziegler, Andrew C.
Comparison of Sediment Deposition in Reservoirs of Four Kansas Watersheds
Mau, David P.; Christensen, Victoria G. Baseline water quality and preliminary effects of artificial recharge on ground water, south-central Kansas, 1995–98
To investigate the feasbility of artificial recharge as a method of meeting future water-supply needs and to protect the Equus Beds aquifer from saltwater intrusion from natural and anthropogenic sources to the west, the Equus Beds Ground-Water Recharge from Demonstration Project was begun in 1995. The project is a cooperative effort between the...
Ziegler, Andrew C.; Christensen, Victoria G.; Ross, Heather C.
Deposition of selenium and other constituents in reservoir bottom sediment of the Solomon River Basin, north-central Kansas
The Solomon River drains approximately 6,840 square miles of mainly agricultural land in north-central Kansas. The Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior, has begun a Resource Management Assessment (RMA) of the Solomon River Basin to provide the necessary data for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance before renewal...
Christensen, Victoria G.