Why do plants grow better in the ocean than the land on antarctica?

Answer 1

Anything growing on the land, would be growing in an extremely hostile environment in almost permanently sub-zero temperature with no water and no animal or insect means of pollination. Because Antarctica is a "polar" region, there is no precipitation, it has no lakes or rivers and is in fact the driest continent. Average temperatures in the Antarctic interior get down to -70 degrees Celsius during the winter months and -35 degrees Celsius in the warmer months. The coastal temperatures are much warmer with a range of -15 to -32 Celsius in Winter and -5 to +5 Celsius in Summer. The interior of Antarctica is considered the world's driest desert because the extreme cold freezes water vapour out of the air. Annual snowfall on the polar plateau is equivalent to less than 5 cm of rain. Antarctica has some of the strongest winds on earth, with some winds reaching 320 kph.

Answer 2

Plants in the ocean have access to abundant nutrients dissolved in the water and growth isn't limited by low temperatures like on land in Antarctica. The ocean environment also provides more stable temperatures and protection from harsh weather conditions, allowing plants to thrive better underwater than on dry land in Antarctica.

Answer 3

The simple answer is that the temperatures in the liquid Southern Ocean are always warmer than the extreme cold of the landscape of Antarctica.

Answer 4

Because the salt in the ocean water can kill the plant