Estuarine dynamics and acid sulfate soil discharge: Quantifying a conceptual model

Over 170,000km2 of Acid Sulfate Soils (ASS) have been identified worldwide, with 65,000 km2 in Asia; 45,000km2 in Africa; 30,000km2 in Australia; 30,000km2 in South America; and a combined total of 10,000km2 in Europe and North America. A state-of-the-science approach to remediate these soils is to encourage tidal buffering. This approach involves the removal of drainage infrastructure and the repurposing of agricultural land back to tidal wetlands. To date, remediation efforts have largely focused on individual locations at the farm plot scale. Remediation projects have commonly focused on onsite acidity levels, groundwater transport and impacts to agricultural infrastructure. This site-based approach provides detailed information on acid hotspots, but provides limited understanding of the overall issues affecting the broader coastal floodplain.