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Terrestrial plant productivity tends to increase under increasing but non-saturating photosynthetically active solar radiation when water, temperature and nutrients are not limiting. However, studies have shown that photosynthesis can also be higher under enhanced diffuse light despite a decrease in total irradiance. Clouds and atmospheric aerosols are two important variables that determine the total and proportion of diffuse light reaching the surface and thereby the rate of photosynthesis and carbon accumulation in plants. In addition to these factors, the response of plants to diffuse radiation is also dependant on plant characteristics such as functional types, leaf physiology, leaf area, leaf inclination, canopy structure and shape (i.e. clumping). Local environmental conditions (i.e. temperature, soil moisture, vapour pressure deficit, etc.) then modulate these plant responses. Changes in solar radiation as a …