Science Case 2.3 - Mars Global Climate: Open Questions

Here we list some (and only some!) of the present open questions related to the Martian climate the observational missions and climate modellers are trying to solve:

• What causes the interannual variability of the dust stroms, how are they initiated and why do some become global and some not?
• The Martian CO2 cycle: what is going on in the polar caps, what is the role of CO2 clouds?
• The Martian water cycle: what are the roles of polar caps, surface material and transport of water vapor, what are the formation and properties of the water ice clouds?
• Was the Martian climate warmer and wetter?