Substorm effects in auroral spectra

A substorm time parameter is defined and used to order a large body of photometric data obtained on aircraft expeditions at high latitudes. The statistical analysis demonstrates hardening of the electron spectrum at the time of substorm, and it is consistent with the accepted picture of poleward expansion of aurora at the time of substorm and curvature drift of substorm-injected electrons. These features are not evident from a similar analysis in terms of magnetic time. We conclude that the substorm time concept is a useful ordering parameter for auroral data.