A method of obtaining the operative sea surface temperature (SST)t using satellite scanner observations in the spectral ranges 3.53–3.94 μm and 10.3–11.3 μm is realized. The method represents a combination of McClainet al.'s formula (1983) and expressions suggested by the authors which describe the universal angular structures of the radiation temperature fields. The RMS error of reconstructingt at scanning angles of 0–55o is equal to 0.2–0.3°C for atmospheric states corresponding to the SST variation within the limit 6–28°C. An atlas of temperature maps on the grid 0.5×0.5o with temporal averaging from 5 days to 1 month is compiled using the data obtained on board the RVAkademik Vernadsky in the Atlantic Ocean in 1987–1989.