Rapid subauroral ion drifts observed by Atmosphere Explorer C

Results are presented for an investigation of rapid subauroral ion drift features using data obtained over a nearly five-year period from the ion RPA/drift meter on Atmosphere Explorer-C. These latitudinally narrow features are found to be confined predominantly to the local time sector between 18:00 and 02:00 hr. They occur either singly or as multiple events, one of which almost always straddles the equatorward edge of the auroral zone. Their occurrence probability suggests a dependence of magnetic substorm activity.