Understanding the impact of jet noise and other high-amplitude sound sources can be improved by quantifying the nonlinearity in a signal with a single-microphone measurement. An ensemble-averaged, frequency-domain version of the generalized Burgers equation has been used to derive a quantitative expression for the change in spectral levels (in decibels) over distance due to geometric spreading, thermoviscous absorption, and nonlinearity, respectively. The nonlinearity indicator, called νN , is based on the quadspectral Morfey-Howell indicator, which has been used in the past to characterize nonlinearity in noise waveforms. Unlike the Morfey-Howell indicator, the νN indicator has direct physical significance, giving a change in decibels per meter of the sound pressure level spectrum specifically due to nonlinearity. However, a detailed characterization of the expected behavior and potential issues for the nonlinearity indicator has been lacking. The quadspectral nonlinearity indicator is first calculated for well-known solutions to several basic acoustical scenarios to determine its expected behavior in both the near field and far field. Next, the accuracy of νN is examined as a function of measurement parameters such as sampling frequency, signal bandwidth, scattering, and noise. Recommendations for conducting experiments are given based on the findings. Finally, the indicator is calculated for model-scale and military jet noise waveforms. These tests reveal the utility and accuracy of the νN indicator for characterizing broadband noise; the indicator gives frequency-dependent information about the waveform from a single-point measurement.