An algorithm is developed to correct satellite measurements of ocean color for atmospheric and surface reflection effects. The algorithm depends on taking the difference between measured and tabulated radiances for deriving water-leaving radiances. The tabulated radiances are related to the measured radiance where the water-leaving radiance is negligible (670 nm). The tabulated radiances are calculated for rough surface reflection, polarization of the scattered light, and multiple scattering. The accuracy of the tables is discussed. The method is validated by simulating the effect of different wind speeds than that for which the lookup table is calculated, and aerosol models different from the maritime model for which the table is computed. The derived water-leaving radiances are accurate enough to compute the pigment concentration with an error of less than ¿15% for wind speeds of 6 and 10 m/s and an urban atmosphere with aerosol optical thickness of 0.20 at λ443 nm and decreasing to 0.10 at λ670 nm. The pigment accuracy is less for wind speeds less than 6 m/s and is about 30% for a model with aeolian dust. On the other hand, in a preliminary comparison with coastal zone color scanner (CZCS) measurements this algorithm and the CZCS operational algorithm produced values of pigment concentration in one image that agreed closely.¿ 1997 American Geophysical Union