The Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometers (AVHRR 2) on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operational meteorological satellites (currently NOAA-11) provide radiometric data at wavelengths of 3.7, 10.8, and 11.9 μm that enable an estimate of sea surface temperature (SST) using a differential absorption technique to allow for atmospheric effects. The operational multichannel SST (MCSST) algorithms used by NOAA/NESDIS (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service) are derived from a regression analysis of coincident satellite and buoy data. The SST algorithms can also be derived using theoretical models of infrared absorption in the atmosphere. By comparing the coefficients of operational, theoretical, and experimental algorithms it is possible both to assess the performance of the transmission models and to gain an insight into the physical processes underlying the SST algorithms. Two sets of data are also used in this study. First, a set of coincident... Abstract The Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometers (AVHRR 2) on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operational meteorological satellites (currently NOAA-11) provide radiometric data at wavelengths of 3.7, 10.8, and 11.9 μm that enable an estimate of sea surface temperature (SST) using a differential absorption technique to allow for atmospheric effects. The operational multichannel SST (MCSST) algorithms used by NOAA/NESDIS (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service) are derived from a regression analysis of coincident satellite and buoy data. The SST algorithms can also be derived using theoretical models of infrared absorption in the atmosphere. By comparing the coefficients of operational, theoretical, and experimental algorithms it is possible both to assess the performance of the transmission models and to gain an insight into the physical processes underlying the SST algorithms. Two sets of data are also used in this study. First, a set of coincident...