“Consequently we have, in a lot of ways, the most capable meteorology sensors that have been sent to Mars, ever.
“For instance, the mission’s pressure sensors are 20 times faster and more sensitive than its predecessors, and the performance of its wind sensors are only matched by the instruments used on NASA’s Mars Viking landers, which touched down in the 1970s.”
This level of meteorological precision has in turn lead to more questions about surface and atmospheric dynamics on the planet, which may actually affect its seismic activity.
Last summer, for example, NASA noticed a spike of high-frequency Marsquakes coincided with seasonal changes in windiness, suggesting some Marsquakes may be influenced by seasonal weather.
Dr Banfield said: “On Earth, you don’t worry too much about seasonal changes in seismicity and that’s probably true mostly on Mars.