The Shannon information content of hyperspectral shortwave cloud albedo measurements: Quantification and practical applications

The Shannon information content provides an objective measure of the information
in a data set. In this paper, we quantify the information content of hyperspectral liquid
water cloud measurements over a spectral range (300–2500 nm) representing
approximately 95% of the total energy in the solar spectrum. We also use the Shannon
information content to analyze the cloud retrieval wavelengths and weightings used by
the Solar Spectral Flux Radiometer (SSFR) and to determine the cumulative information in
the SSFR retrieval. These applications illustrate the utility of the Shannon information
content in guiding the effective processing of hyperspectral data. Such efficiency is
of growing importance considering the push toward spectrally resolved satellite
measurements of reflected solar irradiance used to study climate.