Mesospheric ionisation over dip equator at sunrise

The electron density profile in the equatorial mesosphere was measured during sunrise time over Thumba(dip lat= 0.6°S). The measurements were carried out in the altitude range 60 to 100 km using rocketborne probes. A sharp layer of ionisation was observed around 80 km with electron density about 10⁸m^?3. It is suggested that hydrated ions are the main constituents of this layer.