News from the Lower Ionosphere: A Review of Recent Developments

Current knowledge concerning the lower ionosphere (D- and E-region) is reviewed with an emphasis on new aspects of empirical results. Starting with an overview of experimental techniques and corresponding data bases, both regarding charged as well as the most relevant neutral constituents of this altitude range, the ionospheric variability is discussed both concerning regular (e.g. diurnal and seasonal) as well as irregular variations (e.g. driven by the variability of nitric oxide). We then turn to ‘new players’ in the lower ionosphere, i.e. charged aerosol particles such as mesospheric ice particles in noctilucent clouds or polar mesospheric summer echoes and meteor smoke particles originating from ablated meteoric matter. These species have received considerable attention in recent years, in part because it is speculated that observations of their properties might be useful for the detection of climate change signals. The available experimental data base regarding these species is reviewed and we show that there is now compelling evidence for the ubiquitous presence of these very heavy charge carriers throughout the lower ionosphere. While many fundamental details regarding these charged species are not yet completely understood, this emphasizes that charged aerosol particles may not be neglected in a comprehensive treatment of the lower ionospheric charge balance and related phenomena. Finally, we close with suggestions for future research.