The ionosphere is a name for the layer of the earth’s atmosphere that is ionized by solar wind. Even though many believe the space around earth is a vacuum, it is not completely empty. The sun’s upper atmosphere (the corona) is very hot and some of its hydrogen and helium are able to escape the sun’s gravity. Because the gas is hot and is in a constant stream of solar energy it becomes a fully ionized plasma. This streaming plasma is the solar wind, and it flows out past the earth affecting the earth’s magnetic field, the magnetosphere and ionosphere(read here about Anatomy of Sun). The Earth receives a lot of energy from the sun in the form of radiation- about 1370 Watts per square meter.The ionosphere is the uppermost part of the atmosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere. It has practical importance because, among other functions, it influences radio propagation to distant places on the Earth.
The ionosphere is a shell of electrons and electrically charged atoms and molecules that surrounds the Earth, stretching from a height of about 50 km to more than 1000 km. It owes its existence primarily to ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
The lowest part of the Earth’s atmosphere, the troposphere extends from the surface to about 10 km. Above 10 km is the stratosphere, followed by the mesosphere. In the stratosphere incoming solar radiation creates the ozone layer. At heights of above 80 km (50 miles), in the thermosphere, the atmosphere is so thin that free electrons can exist for short periods of time before they are captured by a nearby positive ion. The number of these free electrons is sufficient to affect radio propagation. This portion of the atmosphere is ionized and contains a plasma which is referred to as the ionosphere. In a plasma, the negative free electrons and the positive ions are attracted to each other by the electromagnetic force, but they are too energetic to stay fixed together in an electrically neutral molecule.
Ionization depends primarily on the Sun and its activity. The amount of ionization in the ionosphere varies greatly with the amount of radiation received from the sun. Thus there is a diurnal (time of day) effect and a seasonal effect. The local winter hemisphere is tipped away from the Sun, thus there is less received solar radiation. The activity of the sun is associated with the sunspot cycle, with more radiation occurring with more sunspots. Radiation received also varies with geographical location (polar, auroral zones, mid-latitudes, and equatorial regions). There are also mechanisms that disturb the ionosphere and decrease the ionization. There are disturbances such as solar flares and the associated release of charged particles into the solar wind which reaches the Earth and interacts with its geomagnetic field.
Sources:
Wikipedia
