Validation and Analysis of MAIAC AOD Aerosol Products in East Asia from 2011 to 2020

East Asia is one of the most important sources of aerosols in the world. The distribution of aerosols varies across time and space. Accurate aerosol data is crucial to identify its spatiotemporal dynamics; thus, it is of great significance to obtain and verify new aerosol data for this region. Based on the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) data of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) program for 17 stations from 2011 to 2020, this study comprehensively verified the accuracy and applicability of the Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) AOD 1 km products among different seasons, elevations, and climate zones over entire East Asia. The results showed that: (1) The overall accuracy of MAIAC AOD was high in East Asia, and the accuracy of Terra was slightly better than that of Aqua. MAIAC AOD showed significant heterogeneity among sites. MAIAC AOD performed well in areas with high vegetation cover and flat terrain, while the inversion accuracy was relatively low in areas with low vegetation cover and high terrain. (2) In general, MAIAC AOD and AERONET AOD showed good agreement in different seasons, presenting as winter > spring > autumn > summer. Yet the accuracy and consistency of Terra AOD product were better than Aqua product. (3) MAIAC AOD showed different accuracy at different elevations and climate zones. It had a high correlation and best inversion accuracy with AERONET AOD at low and medium elevations. MAIAC AOD had better inversion accuracy in the arid and warm temperate zones than that in the equatorial and cold temperate zones. (4) AOD distribution and its trend showed significant spatial differences in East Asia. The high AOD values were dominant in the Sichuan basin and the eastern plains of China, as well as in India and Bangladesh, while the relatively low AOD values were distributed in southwestern China and the areas north of 40 degrees N. AOD in most parts of East Asia showed a negative trend, indicating a great improvement in air quality in these regions.