Preconditions for the triggering of polar magnetic substorms by storm sudden commencements.
A study of 36 storm sudden commencements (ssc) for the period June 1965 to January 1967 indicates that, for the cases considered, sufficient conditions for the triggering of simultaneous polar magnetic substorm onsets were an ssc amplitude of more than 10 gamma and an average geocentric solar magnetospheric Z component of interplanetary magnetic field of less than -1 gamma over a period of at least 1/2 hour preceding the ssc. All events satisfying these conditions produced simultaneous negative-bay onsets.