The lower ionosphere: Abandoned by communication, to be re-discovered for aeronomy

The point is made that research on the lower ionosphere is still of importance, despite the decline in interest for communication. Today, the emphasis must be on the space weather aspect, and on the fact that ionospheric research provides important supporting information for atmospheric science, including global change investigations. Examples of ionospheric evidence are presented that are of potential interest to atmospheric scientists, who may not aware of such data.