The applied magnetic flux (&PHgr;ap) of the southward component of the interplanetary magnetic field in GSM coordinates (Bz-) which impinges upon the sunward magnetopause has been compared with the time integral of the auroral AL index during 56 intervals within a 3-month period in 1969 when interplanetary records from Heos 1 and Explorer 35 were available. The periods of magnetic activity chosen were those for which Bz>0 and AL<20&ggr; at the beginning and end of the interval. It was found that for these intervals, F AL dt∝&PHgr;ap with a correlation coefficient of 0.94. In addition, the empirical relationships between magnetic flux transfer, the applied southward flux, and F AL dt arrived at by Holzer and Slavin (1978) on the basis of expansions and contractions of the forward magnetosphere observed with Ogo 5 are reexamined and improved. With these expressions describing the bulk rates of magnetic flux transfer within the magnetosphere a lower limit of 0.2¿0.1 on the local reconnection efficiency at the magnetopause is calculated.