Pulsed proton events (PPEs) were observed in the dayside aurora over Svalbard, December 10, 1997. Ground-based optical instruments together with satellite instrumentation are used to categorize dayside optical signatures in the time period 0500 UT to 1100 UT (0810--1410 MLT). We find it useful to separate the events into two main regions: regions 1 and 2. Region 1 is the auroral oval containing boundary plasma sheath (BPS) and low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL)/cusp activities. Region 2 is equatorward of that, with a drizzle of energetic electrons from the central plasma sheath (CPS), producing a green glow. Within region 1 a well-defined transition from intense green to red-dominated auroral activity is taken as a signature of the transition between BPS and LLBL. The hydrogen emissions are seen to be associated with both BPS and LLBL. Major PPEs are uniquely related to moving auroral forms identified as being on open LLBL/cusp cup field lines and are likely stimulated by pulsed reconnection events. ¿ 2000 American Geophysical Union