What is the meaning of sparse?
: of few and scattered elements especially : not thickly grown or settled.
How do you say the word scarce?
As far as logic goes, “scarce” should be pronounced /skɑɹs/ or /skɑ:s/, because A is followed by two consonants and it is a universal rule that two consonants follow a short sound in English. The emboldened part is infelicitous.