Home > Earth and the Environment > Atmosphere and Weather > Atmospheric and Space Sciences: Atmosphere

Topic:ionosphere

Visit our new topic page about ionosphere

ionosphere

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | Date: 2008

ionosphere , series of concentric ionized layers forming part of the upper atmosphere of the earth from around 30 to 50 mi (50 to 80 km) to 250 to 370 mi (400 to 600 km) where it merges with the magnetosphere, the region of the Van Allen radiation belts . The degree of ionization and the heights of the ionized layers fluctuate on a daily and a seasonal basis and show latitudinal variations as well. Causes for other variations in characteristics may include changes in the amount of ultraviolet radiation received from the sun and effects of the earth's magnetic field. Ionization of nitrogen and oxygen molecules from X-rays and ultraviolet radiation from the sun produces a layer of charged particles which allows radio waves to be reflected around the world. Such activity makes possible long-distance wireless communication. The layers comprising the ionosphere are the D layer, E layer, and F layer (divided into F-1 and F-2). The lower layers have the lowest concentration of charged particles and reflect low frequency waves. The middle layers are called the Kennelly-Heaviside layers (named after Oliver Heaviside in England and A. E. Kennelly in the United States who independently discovered the existence and effects of the ionosphere); while the Appleton, or highest layer, has the highest concentration of charged particles due to the low density of gases.

Author not available, IONOSPHERE., The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2008

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles from HighBeam Research

	Radio twinkling in Venusian ionosphere. Science News; 2/25/1989; Eberhart, Jonathan; 583 words ; Radio Twinkling in Venusian ionosphere Stars appear to twinkle because ... of twinkling takes place in the ionosphere, the layer of charged particles ... scintillations take place in the ionosphere of Venus. The effect has been observed ... Read more
	Composition of the psychological ionosphere: A closer look at environmentally framed counselor supervision TCA Journal; 4/1/1999; Valadez, Albert A; Garcia, John L; 2719 words ; ... and supervisee. Layers of the atmosphere (ionosphere, stratosphere and troposphere) symbolically ... expands upon the construct of psychological ionosphere. Composition of the Ionosphere In reference to Valadez and Garcia (1998 ... Read more
	'4D' Ionosphere Map Helps Flyers, Soldiers, Ham Radio Operators U.S. Newswire; 4/30/2008; 759 words ; ... public a new 4D live model of Earths ionosphere. Without leaving home, anyone can fly ... headquarters in Washington, DC. The ionosphere is important to pilots, ham radio operators ... tool, they can monitor and study the ionosphere as if theyre actually inside it. The ... Read more
	Exiting ions of Venus' ionosphere. Science News; 2/17/1990; 441 words ; Exiting of Venus' ionosphere Data from various spacecraft, primarily ... have identified holes in Venus' ionosphere, indicating regions with reduced ... processes, dominated by variations in the ionosphere's chemistry, and seem to have no ... Read more
	Mapping stormy weather in the ionosphere. Science News; 2/4/1995; Peterson, Ivars; 495 words ; Solar outbursts can roil Earth's ionosphere, rapidly changing the distribution of electric ... radar to study storms and other features of the ionosphere, they have lacked the tools needed to monitor and ... a novel technique for producing global weather maps of the ionosphere. Known as radio tomography, ... Read more
	Ionosphere opts for VoIP technology from IP Deliver.(Brief Article) Telecomworldwire; 1/7/2004; 110 words ; TELECOMWORLDWIRE-7 January 2004-Ionosphere opts for VoIP technology from IP Deliver ... and connectivity to telecomms carrier Ionosphere following a recently signed agreement ... deploy a solution that will provide Ionosphere with VoIP capabilities on a worldwide ... Read more
	Ionospheres: Physics, Plasma Physics, and Chemistry Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society; 10/1/2001; Bailey, Graham J; 844 words ; Ionospheres: Physics, Plasma Physics, and Chemistry. Robert W. Schunk ... from the troposphere and stratosphere, up through the ionosphere and magnetosphere, and out to the interplanetary medium ... and chemical processes that control the behavior of ionospheres. This book will be invaluable to graduate ... Read more
	The Sky is Falling.(ionosphere has fallen due to global warming) Science World; 2/8/1999; Rivera, Rachel; 288 words ; ... British scientists announced that the ionosphere, the upper layer of Earth's atmosphere ... reaching up to 500 km (310 mi), the ionosphere has fallen by 8 km (4.8 mi) in the last ... atmosphere. Result: the cooling of the ionosphere, so that atmospheric pressure (pressure ... Read more
	Production Journal.(global positioning system signals travel)(Space storms in the ionosphere) Farm Journal; 2/21/2006; Henderson, Pam Wenze, Wayne; 431 words ; ... problem that's over your head. Space storms in the ionosphere-at altitudes of 30 to 250 miles above the earth-often are at fault. The ionosphere is an electrically conducting series of layers ... GPS satellite signals must travel through the ionosphere before reaching your receiver. That's ... Read more
	The quaking ionosphere. (earthquake disturbs ionosphere) Science News; 10/19/1985; 237 words ; On April 12, 1978, something strange happened to the ionosphere above Chatanika, Alaska. Scientists routinely monitoring ... data to the model, however, they had to assume that the ionosphere was hotter than normal, suggesting that the earthquake ... Read more

See all related premium articles

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses

	ionosphere Britannica Concise Encyclopedia ... propagation of radio waves. The ionosphere begins at an altitude of about 30 ... and ultraviolet wavelengths. The ionosphere is responsible for the long-distance ... the shortwave and broadcast bands. ionosphere ionosphere ionosphere Read more
	ionosphere World Encyclopedia ionosphere Wide region of ions in the atmosphere . It extends from about 60km (37mi) above the Earth's surface to the limits of the atmosphere in the Van Allen radiation belts . Radio waves are deflected in the ionosphere, which makes possible long-distance radio communication. Read more
	ionosphere The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology ionosphere XX. f. ION + -O- + SPHERE . Read more
	ionosphere The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English ... nəˌsfi(ə)r / • n. the layer of the earth's atmosphere that contains a high concentration of ions and free electrons and is able to reflect radio waves. It lies above the mesosphere and extends from about 50 to 600 miles (80 to 1,000 ... Read more
	Oliver Heaviside Britannica Concise Encyclopedia ... Torquay, Devon) English physicist. In 1902 he predicted the presence of the ionosphere . Since Arthur Kennelly (1861–1939) had made a similar prediction, the ionosphere was long known as the Kennelly-Heaviside layer. Heaviside's work on telephone ... Read more