Kevin Tate

Born in Lower Hutt on 8 April 1943, Tate was the son of Dudley Tate and Hazel Winifred Tate (née Jackson-Hughes).{{cite news |url=http://deaths.dompost.co.nz/obituaries/dominion-post-nz/obituary.aspx?n=kevin-tate&pid=187944638 |title=Kevin Tate death notice |work=Dominion Post |date=24 January 2018 |access-date=24 January 2018}}{{cite news | url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19430409.2.2 | title=Births | date=9 April 1943 | work=Evening Post | access-date=28 January 2018 | page=1}} He was educated at Hutt Valley High School from 1956.{{cite news | url=http://www.hvhs.school.nz/files/9514/7682/8215/HVHS_Alumni_News_October_2016.pdf | title=The class of '56 celebrates HVHS's 90th anniversary | date=October 2016 | work=Alumni News | access-date=28 January 2018 | first=Robyn |last=Cooper}}

Tate studied chemistry at Victoria University of Wellington, graduating BSc in 1964, and MSc the following year. His master's thesis was titled A study of the dealdolisation of diacetone alcohol.{{cite web|author=Te Waharoa |url=http://tewaharoa.victoria.ac.nz/VUW:64VUW_ALL:64VUW_INST21136293510002386 |title=A study of the dealdolisation of diacetone alcohol: submitted for the degree of Master of Science in chemistry |publisher=Victoria University of Wellington |access-date=24 January 2018}} Tate then completed a PhD on decarboxylation kinetics and mechanisms under Robert Walker Hay at Victoria,{{cite web|author=Te Waharoa |url=http://tewaharoa.victoria.ac.nz/VUW:64VUW_ALL:64VUW_INST21132113060002386 |title=Kinetic and mechanistic studies of decarboxylation: submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy |publisher=Victoria University of Wellington |access-date=24 January 2018}} before moving to Soil Bureau, a branch of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) in the Hutt Valley. In 1992, DSIR was dissolved and Soil Bureau became Landcare Research, a Crown Research Institute, and he moved with it to Palmerston North, on the campus of Massey University.

Much of Tate's early research involved the storage and cycling of phosphorus and carbon in soils, particularly in economically important New Zealand grasslands and native forests. Later work focused on carbon cycling and sequestration, particularly as climate change became an issue and the question of how soils and soil biota could impact atmospheric carbon dioxide levels became relevant.

Tate also contributed his soil chemistry knowledge to other research topics at Soil Bureau / Landcare, including sand dune rehabilitation, restoration of pasture after topsoil removal and understanding tussock grasslands. Many papers were coauthored with people including Des J. Ross, C.W. Feltham, Benny K.G. Theng, R.H. Newman, Neal A. Scott, Surinder Saggar, Paul C.D. Newton, Troy Baisden, Aroon Parshotam, David A. Wardle and Gregor W. Yeates.

Retirement in 2005 did not stop Tate working on his science. One of his last works was editing Microbial Biomass, a 2017 volume on soil and ecosystem microbial processes.{{cite book |title=Microbial biomass |year=2017 |doi=10.1142/q0038 |last1=Tate |first1=Kevin R. |hdl=1983/9a4d9aa8-513d-487c-8007-315a62ced7a1 |isbn=978-1-78634-130-3 |url=https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/dynamic-compoundspecific-stable-isotope-probing-of-the-soil-microbial-biomass(9a4d9aa8-513d-487c-8007-315a62ced7a1).html }}

Tate died in Palmerston North on 22 January 2018.

In 1995, Tate was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand, the peak science organisation in New Zealand.{{cite web|url=https://royalsociety.org.nz/who-we-are/our-people/our-fellows/all-fellows/s-u/ |title=List of all Fellows with surnames S–U |publisher=Royal Society Te Apārangi |access-date=24 January 2018}} He was also elected to fellowships of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry and the New Zealand Society of Soil Science.{{cite journal |date=24 July 1996 |title=Royal Society of New Zealand Act: election of fellows |url=https://www.gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/1996-gn4955 |journal=New Zealand Gazette |publisher=Department of Internal Affairs |page=1831 |access-date=28 January 2018}}

In 2005, Tate was awarded the Marsden Medal by the New Zealand Association of Scientists for "contribution to, and leadership of, research into ecosystem processes and climate change [spanning] four decades."{{cite web|url=http://scientists.org.nz/awards/marsden-award |title=Marsden Medal |publisher=New Zealand Association of Scientists |access-date=24 January 2018}}

• {{cite journal |last1=Tate |first1=K.R. |last2=Ross |first2=D.J. |last3=Feltham | first3=C.W. |year=1988 |title=A direct extraction method to estimate soil microbial C: effects of experimental variables and some different calibration procedures |journal=Soil Biology and Biochemistry |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=329–335 |doi=10.1016/0038-0717(88)90013-2|bibcode=1988SBiBi..20..329T }}
• {{cite journal |last1=Newman |first1=R.H. |last2=Tate |first2=K.R. |year=1980 |title=Soil phosphorus characterisation by ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance |journal=Communications in Soil Science & Plant Analysis |volume=11 |issue=9 |pages=835–842 |doi=10.1080/00103628009367083|bibcode=1980CSSPA..11..835N }}
• {{cite journal |last1=Jensen |first1=L.S. |last2=Mueller |first2=T. |last3=Tate | first3=K.R. |last4=Ross | first4=D.J. |last5=Magid | first5=J. |last6=Nielsen | first6=N.E. |year=1996 |title=Soil surface CO₂ flux as an index of soil respiration in situ: a comparison of two chamber methods |journal=Soil Biology and Biochemistry |volume=28 |issue=10 |pages=1297–1306 | doi=10.1016/s0038-0717(96)00136-8}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Ross |first1=D.J. |last2=Tate |first2=K.R. |last3=Scott | first3=N.A. |last4=Feltham | first4=C.W. |year=1999 |title=Land-use change: effects on soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus pools and fluxes in three adjacent ecosystems |journal=Soil Biology and Biochemistry |volume=31 |issue=6 |pages=803–813 |doi=10.1016/s0038-0717(98)00180-1|bibcode=1999SBiBi..31..803R }}

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• {{ResearchGate}}

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Category:1943 births

Category:2018 deaths

Category:People from Lower Hutt

Category:People educated at Hutt Valley High School

Category:Victoria University of Wellington alumni

Category:New Zealand chemists

Category:New Zealand soil scientists

Category:People associated with Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (New Zealand)

Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand

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