We have completed the analysis of 3 full Mars Years of solar occultation measurements with NOMAD on board the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO). The data reveal interesting features of the H2O distribution and variability.

In the recent work (Brines et al. 2024), we described a strong injection of H 2 O to high altitudes in the Martian atmosphere which presents some interannual variations, not fully understood yet. The plume seems to appear later in the year and with a
lower intensity during MY 34, where a global dust storm (GDS) took place. How is this H2O plume related to the GDS? Were the H2O in polar regions affected by the GDS just before the perihelion via deposition of ice on the polar caps? Or is the suspended dust modifying the strength of the global circulation? And, is this of importance for the escape of H to space?

We will continue exploring these and other related open issues with model simulations and more NOMAD data.