Epistemic Uncertainties in the Assessment of Regional Soil Acidification

The increasing acidification of soil due to pollution and agricultural management practices is a growing problem worldwide, where food production already under threat by climate change, more frequent droughts, nutrient depletion. Soil quantified pH measurements primary metric for health. High acidity constraint on the grains other crops because it decreases bioavailability important plant nutrients while toxicity arising from an imbalance essential elements. Field can be estimated colour test kits which are very cost-effective particularly suitable developing countries laboratory services not available or fail provide timely results. Because kit based visual matching between card scale sample in solution, there epistemic uncertainties, such as variability expert opinion, differences vision, measurement error, instrumentation, changes daylight spectral content. In this study, human observers were compared experiments conducted using standard range environmental conditions. A significant difference uncertainty discrimination was evident male female experts, whereas conditions had lower impact variance estimates. group subject matter error (0.35 pH) 57% higher average over values (pH = 4 → 10) females (0.22 pH). This largest (70%) low 6.5 range, critical successful amelioration acidification. results suggest that historical database may have hitherto unrecognised uncertainties affect confidence intervals experimental data turn will predictive models policy development.