  The spectra of O and B supergiants are known to be affected by a significant
form of extra line broadening (usually referred to as macroturbulence) in
addition to that produced by stellar rotation. Recent analyses of high
resolution spectra have shown that the interpretation of this line broadening
as a consequence of large scale turbulent motions would imply highly supersonic
velocity fields in photospheric regions, making this scenario quite improbable.
Stellar oscillations have been proposed as a likely alternative explanation. As
part of a long term observational project, we are investigating the
macroturbulent broadening in O and B supergiants and its possible connection
with spectroscopic variability phenomena and stellar oscillations. In this
letter, we present the first encouraging results of our project, namely firm
observational evidence for a strong correlation between the extra broadening
and photospheric line-profile variations in a sample of 13 supergiants with
spectral types ranging from O9.5 to B8.
