Modeling the global Martian atmosphere

We review the development of Martian General Circulation Models, from simple tools providing coarse insight into the general circulation before the arrival of spacecraft at Mars, to the basis of modern Martian global climate models. Current Mars GCMs are based on well-known terrestrial GCMs, most notably the GFDL Flexible Modeling System and the LMD GCM. Variants of these models have been used to capture the dynamics of the atmosphere from the surface to the thermosphere, and climate system cycles such as those of water, carbon dioxide and mineral dust.