Climatic analysis of satellite aerosol data on variations of submicron aerosols over East China

• A distinctive distribution of total aerosols and submicron aerosols in East China.
• An increasing trend in submicron aerosols over East China in the ten years.
• Submicron aerosols are more significantly impacted by East Asian monsoons.

Recently, haze events frequently occurred in East China. To assess the impacts of aerosols on air quality over the region, we investigate the interannual variations of the total aerosols and the submicron aerosols, in terms of the aerosol mass concentration (AMC) and Fine Mode Fraction (FMF), respectively, using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) aerosol products, which can be used for regional air quality assessment, from 2003 to 2013. On average, the AMC distributes as “northern high and southern low”, whereas the FMF shows a “northern low and southern high” pattern. High FMF occurs in the warm seasons, but low FMF appears in the cool seasons. During the 10 years, the AMC shows increasing trend in northern and decreasing trend in southeastern parts of the region, whereas an increasing trend in the FMF is observed over the entire East China, likely related to elevated submicron aerosols from anthropogenic sources. The East Asian summer monsoon impacts the submicron aerosols more than the total aerosols. The enhanced submicron aerosols are responsible for rapid deterioration of air quality in East China in recent years.