re: Mars is Bone Dry
Perhaps they can take TECP measurements directly from the areas covered by frosts at the Phoenix site:
Also, in the report I didn't see any mention of their taking into account the daily timing of the TECP measurements. Ice deposition, even when not directly visible as with the frosts, takes place maximally in the evening hours and evaporates/sublimates off during the early morning.
The measurements should be taken during the specific time of the day when modeling suggests there would still be sufficient water/ice on the surface yet the solar insolation should make large proportion of it undergo a phase transition from ice to liquid and/or vapor stage.
Bob Clark