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ionosphere

ionosphere

8 8.0
A layer high above Earth that contains charged particles and reflects radio waves
  • noun
  • /aɪˈɒnəˌsfɪr/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ionosfera
  • NASA had a Convair CV 990, named Galileo, that scientists were using to study Earth's atmosphere and ionosphere.
  • Earth's ionosphere
  • atmosphere and ionosphere
  • ionosphere and magnetosphere

And AM radio waves, when they hit the ionosphere, they actually reflect back down.

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Examples

  • Solar activity also alters the ionosphere and affects radio wave propagation.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Radio waves bounce off the ionosphere, hundreds of miles up.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • And AM radio waves, when they hit the ionosphere, they actually reflect back down.

  • Over the whole Earth, the resistance between the surface and the ionosphere is about 200 ohms.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Management of communication frequencies relies on knowledge of the electron density in the ionosphere, which depends critically on solar activity.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The same law describes the Earth's ionosphere, a thick layer of ionized gas about 100 km above the Earth's surface.

    Academic text (1999)
  • During the day, the ionosphere helps in the transmission of radio signals over long distances.

  • The ionosphere, located between 50 to 600 miles above the Earth, plays a crucial role in reflecting radio waves.

  • Researchers monitored changes in the ionosphere to better understand how solar storms affect communication systems.

Surface Forms

ionosphere singular
ionospheres plural

Morphology

ionosphere = ion + sphere (transparent) = ion + sphere

The word literally denotes a 'sphere' or region characterized by ions, so if learners know 'ion' and 'sphere' the compound meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

Ionosphere is made from ion, meaning a 'charged particle', and sphere, meaning a 'round layer' as in atmosphere. So the word names the round layer of charged particles around Earth that can reflect radio waves.