Open AccessThe Shannon information content of hyperspectral shortwave cloud albedo measurements: Quantification and practical applications
Author(s) -
Coddington Odele,
Pilewskie Peter,
Vukicevic Tomislava
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2011jd016771
Subject(s) - hyperspectral imaging , remote sensing , shortwave , environmental science , irradiance , radiometer , cloud computing , solar irradiance , computer science , meteorology , optics , physics , radiative transfer , geology , operating system
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.