Electron loss and the determination of electron concentrations in theD-region

The most meaningful way to compare observations of the daytimeD-region under all ionization conditions, for the purpose of improving our understanding of this region, would appear to be through use of the effective electron recombination coefficient, =q/e]², whereq is the ionization production rate, and where e] is the electron concentration. This ratio apparently increases monotonically with decreasing altitude, and is much less variable than its componentsq and e]. This parameter appears eminently suitable as a best first order solution to e] after determiningq. For nighttime conditions, is more sensitive toq. However, an accurate but simple formula exists for the calculation of electron concentrations.