F REGION

highest region of the ionosphere, at altitudes greater than 160 km (100 miles); it has the greatest concentration of free electrons and is the most important of the ionospheric regions. The charged particles in the F region consist primarily of neutral atoms split into electrons and charged atoms. Although its degree of ionization persists with little change through the night, there is a change in the ion distribution. During the day two layers can be distinguished: a small layer, F1, and above it a more highly ionized, dominant layer, F2. At night they become one at about the level of the F2 layer, also called the Appleton layer. This region reflects radio waves with frequencies up to about 30 megahertz; the exact value depends on the peak amount of the electron concentration, typically 106 electrons per cubic centimetre, though with large variations caused by the sunspot cycle.