Based on the water surface spectral data in Taihu Lake area and MODIS remote sensing image data on the same day,this paper retrieved the aerosol optical depth(AOD) in Taihu Lake area by using the radiative transfer model 6S and selecting the user-defined aerosol model.The retrieved AOD data and the AOD data measured by CE318 were applied to the atmospheric correction in Taihu Lake area,respectively,so the two different water reflectivities were gotten and compared with the measured water reflectivity.Results show that the distribution of retrieved AOD in Taihu Lake area is reasonable,which is mainly caused by the developed industry and the more serious pollution in the north of Taihu Lake.The differences of retrieved data induced by the spectral absorption coefficients of particulate and the apparent reflectivity received by the satellite lead to the nonuniform distribution of retrieved AOD.It is more accurate by using the AOD retrieved by MODIS data to do the atmospheric correction.The method and results will be helpful for the retrieval of AOD and the accuracy of atmospheric correction.