ionosphericadj.
/ʌɪˌɒnəˈsfɛrɪk/, U.S. /aɪˌɑnəˈsfɪrɪk/ Originally and chiefly Atmospheric Physics.
Of, relating to, or involving the ionosphere.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > [adjective] > specific region of
subsolar1845
stratospheric1909
tropospheric1914
ionospheric1933
stratospherical1934
mesospheric1940
magnetospheric1961
protonospheric1965
thermospheric1971
plasmaspheric1974
1933 Proc. Physical Soc. 45 673 (heading) On two methods of ionospheric investigation.
1958 Times 8 Nov. 4/7 Assurances that the ionospheric forward-scatter radio station..will not represent a radiation hazard to the public have now been given officially.
1986 Short Wave Mag. Dec. 370/1 Now we have the 50 MHz band, this is good news since we may be able to experience VHF ionospheric propagation in the not quite so distant future.
2010 S. Fry Fry Chrons. 326 The precious signal is bounced off the atmosphere..through ionospheric storms and the rude jostling traffic of a hundred thousand intrusive foreign transmissions.
Derivatives
iˌonoˈspherically adv. by the ionosphere; with respect to the ionosphere; (also) figurative = stratospherically adv. 2
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > [adverb] > by the ionosphere
ionospherically1937
1937 E. V. Appleton in Proc. Royal Soc. A. 162 464 Best and Ratcliffe, working at Cambridge, have found good agreement..for the case of the diurnal variation on ionospherically undisturbed days.
1971 Nature Physical Sci. 5 Apr. 125/1 There is no fading such as occurs in ionospherically reflected sky waves.
2000 Guardian 8 Dec. b18/1 Glenn Close is ionospherically over the top, grimacing and leering in a world of her own.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1933