Auroral motions and magnetic variations associated with the onset of auroral substorms

Observations of the aurora borealis were undertaken during the period August 10--20, 1976, from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada. Two auroral substorm 'breakup' events which occurred in the Alberta sector during this period were photographically documented and have been studied together with the associated polar magnetic substorm events. It is found that significant westward-directed ionospheric current flow occurs for perhaps 2 or 3 minutes prior to the appearance of the auroral breakup surge form. This current appears to lie parallel to the bright arc which forms before onset of the breakup phase. Such an observation is important relative to the timing of the onsets both of auroral and polar magnetic substorms, and also may have critical implications relative to a theoretical understanding of the sequence of events leading to the auroral substorm breakup