diff --git a/src/science/radiation/cbl_init_radiation.F90 b/src/science/radiation/cbl_init_radiation.F90
index a32a6d1f0..0368dc0da 100644
--- a/src/science/radiation/cbl_init_radiation.F90
+++ b/src/science/radiation/cbl_init_radiation.F90
@@ -378,8 +378,9 @@ SUBROUTINE BeamFraction( RadFbeam, mp, nrb, Cpi,Ccoszen_tols_huge, metDoy,     &
 
 
 ! Define beam fraction, fbeam:
-RadFbeam(:,1) = spitter(mp, cpi, metDoy, coszen, SW_down(:,1))
-RadfBeam(:,2) = spitter(mp, cpi, metDoy, coszen, SW_down(:,2))
+! #355 beam fraction defined using total SW_down; applies to VIS&NIR equally
+RadFbeam(:,1) = spitter(mp, cpi, metDoy, coszen, SW_down(:,1)+SW_down(:,2))
+RadFbeam(:,2) = RadFbeam(:,1)
 
 ! coszen is set during met data read in.
 WHERE (coszen < Ccoszen_tols_huge )