Single scattering albedo (SSA) represents a unique identification of aerosol type and aerosol radiative forcing. However, SSA retrievals are highly uncertain due cloud contamination and aerosol composition. Recent improvement in the SSA retrieval algorithm has combined the superior cloud masking technique of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the better sensitivity of Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) to aerosol absorption. The combined OMI-MODIS algorithm has been validated over a small spatial and temporal scale only. The present study validates the algorithm over global oceans for the period 2008–2012. The geographical heterogeneity in the aerosol type and concentration over the Atlantic Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal was useful to delineate the effect of aerosol type on the retrieval algorithm. We also noted that OMI overestimates SSA when absorbing aerosols were present closer to the surface. We attribute this overestimation to data discontinuity in the aerosol height climatology derived from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite. OMI uses pre-defined aerosol heights over regions where CALIPSO climatology is not present leading to overestimation of SSA. The importance of aerosol height was also studied using the Santa Barbara DISORT radiative transfer (SBDART) model. The results from the joint retrieval were validated with ground-based measurements and it was seen that OMI-MODIS SSA retrievals were better constrained than OMI only retrieval.