Sea surface temperature (SST) retrievals obtained from NOAA advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) data can determine SST within 0.7 ¿C on a global basis. However, retrievals have been severely limited in the presence of tropospheric aerosol particles because no adequate aerosol correction algorithm exists. High tropospheric aerosol concentrations in the atmosphere significantly increase infrared signal attenuation and prevent the retrieval of accurate satellite SSTs. This paper presents tropospheric aerosol correction algorithms derived from NOAA AVHRR SST and optical depth measurements and from drifting buoy in situ SSTs. We show that the correction algorithms perform better than the current global algorithm in an atmosphere that contains high Saharan dust concentrations and generate statistical accuracy comparable to satellite SST performance globally. These corrections would significantly increase the quantity and quality of satellite retrievals under such atmospheric conditions, and the observations would greatly benefit both global climate research and maritime operations conducted in such regions.