Interactions between biomass-burning aerosols and clouds over Southeast Asia: Current status, challenges, and perspectives

•Campaigns and field studies concerning biomass burning are reviewed.•Tools and needs for studying aerosol–cloud-precipitation interaction are listed.•Preliminary results of aerosol studies from the 2013 7-SEAS/BASELInE are presented.•Modeling aerosol–cloud-precipitation interactions are discussed.•Challenges and perspectives on reviewed topics are briefly discussed.

The interactions between aerosols, clouds, and precipitation remain among the largest sources of uncertainty in the Earth's energy budget. Biomass-burning aerosols are a key feature of the global aerosol system, with significant annually-repeating fires in several parts of the world, including Southeast Asia (SEA). SEA in particular provides a “natural laboratory” for these studies, as smoke travels from source regions downwind in which it is coupled to persistent stratocumulus decks. However, SEA has been under-exploited for these studies. This review summarizes previous related field campaigns in SEA, with a focus on the ongoing Seven South East Asian Studies (7-SEAS) and results from the most recent BASELInE deployment. Progress from remote sensing and modeling studies, along with the challenges faced for these studies, are also discussed. We suggest that improvements to our knowledge of these aerosol/cloud effects require the synergistic use of field measurements with remote sensing and modeling tools.