A better knowledge of the spatial and temporal variation in atmospheric aerosol and its influencing factors is of great significance to controlling atmospheric pollution and improving the atmospheric environment. First, the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (VIIRS) intermediate product (IP) aerosol optical depth (AOD) data from 2013 to 2019 were used to analyze the temporal and spatial variation in AOD in the North China Plain. Secondly, SO, NO, PM, meteorological data, NDVI, DEM, GDP, and POPU were selected as influencing factors, and the linkage models between AOD and its influencing factors were established based on the XGBoost model for each of the five representative cities in the North China Plain to quantitatively estimate and reveal the contribution of various influencing factors behind the temporal and spatial distribution in AOD. The results showed that in terms of spatial distribution, the AOD of the North China Plain was bounded by the Taihang Mountains, showing a pattern of high AOD in the southeast and low AOD in the northwest. In terms of temporal changes, the annual average value of AOD in the five cities showed an overall decreasing trend, and the monthly average value of AOD first increased and then decreased, with the highest value appearing in July and the lowest value in December. In addition, the AOD estimation model established in this paper for the five cities in North China had high accuracy, with ranging from 0.60 to 0.67. Among the factors influencing AOD in the North China Plain, NO and SO were the most influential factors contributing to AOD in the five cities. In addition, PM was another important pollutant emission factor. In terms of meteorological factors, temperature (), relative humidity (RH), wind speed (WS), and wind direction (WD) were the other four important influencing factors. There were both commonalities and differences in the rankings of the contribution and importance of AOD influencing factors in the five representative cities in North China.
