John Catt (1939 – 7 December 2017) was a British

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

and

soil scientist Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the ...

. Catt spent most of his research career at the

Rothamsted Experimental Station Rothamsted Research, previously known as the Rothamsted Experimental Station and then the Institute of Arable Crops Research, is one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founded in 1843. It is located at Harp ...

, where he made major contributions

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ...

paleopedology Paleopedology (palaeopedology in the United Kingdom) is the discipline that studies soils of past geological eras, from quite recent (Quaternary) to the earliest periods of the Earth's history. Paleopedology can be seen either as a branch of soil s ...

and

soil management Soil management is the application of operations, practices, and treatments to protect soil and enhance its performance (such as soil fertility or soil mechanics). It includes soil conservation, soil amendment, and optimal soil health. In agricult ...

. After retiring from Rothamsted, he was appointed an honorary professor at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, and worked on ''Hertfordshire Geology and Landscape'' (2010), which was acclaimed as a definitive text on the natural history of

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. He received lifetime achievement awards from the Geological Society (2015) and the Hertfordshire Natural History Society (2013).

Research career

Born in 1939, Catt studied geology at the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...

. He worked at the

as a soil scientist from 1963 to 1999, serving as head of the soils department and deputy head of the institution. Upon his retirement, was appointed an

honorary professor Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...

of geography at University College London. He was also a visiting professor at

Birkbeck College Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a public university, public research university, located in Bloomsbury, London, England, and a constituent college, member institution of the federal Universit ...

, an honorary professor of the Czech University of Agriculture in Prague, and fellow of the

Geological Society The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

and Institute of Geology. He received the 2015 Distinguished Service Award from the Geological Society. The initial focus of Catt's research at Rothamsted was on the

pedogenesis Soil formation, also known as pedogenesis, is the process of soil genesis as regulated by the effects of place, environment, and history. Biogeochemical processes act to both create and destroy order (anisotropy) within soils. These alterations l ...

soils, an extension of his PhD research at Hull. His ''Soils and Quaternary Geology: a handbook for field scientists'' (1986) intended to provide a "complete guide" to Quaternary sediments for non-Quaternary geologists, although reviewers did not agree that it met this aim, and were particularly critical of its limited geographical scope. In the 1990s, Catt worked on the problem of nomenclature in Quaternary

, publishing a ''Paleopedology manual'' (1990) and chairing a working group on definitions for the IUSS' Paleopedology Commission. Later in his career, Catt turned his attention to

, researching crop performance,

soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, and ...

and pollution by agricultural pesticides using

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Earth ...

techniques. He collaborated with Michael Fullen on a textbook, ''Soil Management: Problems and Solutions'' (2004), and co-authored widely cited papers with

John Quinton Flight Lieutenant John Alan Quinton, GC, DFC (2 February 1921 – 13 August 1951) was a British navigator and pilot who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for an act of outstanding bravery where he unselfishly saved a young air cadet w ...

on the removal of

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...

from soils and heavy metal pollution.

Hertfordshire natural history

Catt was also an active member of the Hertfordshire Natural History Society, and received the society's '1875 Award for an outstanding contributor to natural history in Hertfordshire' in 2013. In 1973, he took over editorship of a volume on the geology of the county, which the society had been planning since 1950. The book was finally published in 2010 as ''Hertfordshire Geology and Landscape''. A reviewer for '' Geoscientist'' praised it as "the most important book ever written on Hertfordshire's earth heritage" and "a testament to John Catt’s editorial and writing skills as well as his deep personal knowledge."

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catt, John 1939 births 2017 deaths British geologists British soil scientists Alumni of the University of Hull Rothamsted Experimental Station people Academics of University College London Fellows of the Geological Society of London Geology of Hertfordshire