diff --git a/fix/link_fixdirs.sh b/fix/link_fixdirs.sh
index 3fb91a1b2..0c2ceefdd 100755
--- a/fix/link_fixdirs.sh
+++ b/fix/link_fixdirs.sh
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ elif [ $machine = "wcoss2" ]; then
 elif [ $machine = "s4" ]; then
     FIX_DIR="/data/prod/glopara/fix"
 elif [ $machine = "gaea" ]; then
-    FIX_DIR="/gpfs/f5/epic/proj-shared/global/glopara/data/fix"
+    FIX_DIR="/gpfs/f5/ufs-ard/world-shared/global/glopara/data/fix"
 fi
 
 am_ver=${am_ver:-20220805}
diff --git a/modulefiles/build.hera.gnu.lua b/modulefiles/build.hera.gnu.lua
index 82be39c6f..70daf13ae 100644
--- a/modulefiles/build.hera.gnu.lua
+++ b/modulefiles/build.hera.gnu.lua
@@ -5,12 +5,12 @@ Load environment to compile UFS_UTILS on Hera using Gnu
 hpss_ver=os.getenv("hpss_ver") or ""
 load(pathJoin("hpss", hpss_ver))
 
-prepend_path("MODULEPATH", "/scratch1/NCEPDEV/nems/role.epic/spack-stack/spack-stack-1.6.0/envs/unified-env-rocky8/install/modulefiles/Core")
+prepend_path("MODULEPATH", "/scratch1/NCEPDEV/nems/role.epic/spack-stack/spack-stack-1.6.0/envs/unified-env-rocky8-ompi416/install/modulefiles/Core")
 
 stack_gcc_ver=os.getenv("stack_gcc_ver") or "9.2"
 load(pathJoin("stack-gcc", gnu_ver))
 
-stack_openmpi_ver=os.getenv("stack_openmpi_ver") or "4.1.5"
+stack_openmpi_ver=os.getenv("stack_openmpi_ver") or "4.1.6"
 load(pathJoin("stack-openmpi", stack_openmpi_ver))
 
 cmake_ver=os.getenv("cmake_ver") or "3.23.1"
@@ -41,22 +41,13 @@ load(pathJoin("w3emc", w3emc_ver))
 sigio_ver=os.getenv("sigio_ver") or "2.3.2"
 load(pathJoin("sigio", sigio_ver))
 
-hdf5_ver=os.getenv("hdf5_ver") or "1.14.0"
-load(pathJoin("hdf5", hdf5_ver))
-
-netcdf_c_ver=os.getenv("netcdf_c_ver") or "4.9.2"
-load(pathJoin("netcdf-c", netcdf_c_ver))
-
-netcdf_fortran_ver=os.getenv("netcdf_fortran_ver") or "4.6.1"
-load(pathJoin("netcdf-fortran", netcdf_fortran_ver))
-
-nccmp_ver=os.getenv("nccmp_ver") or "1.9.0.1"
+nccmp_ver=os.getenv("nccmp_ver") or "1.9.1"
 load(pathJoin("nccmp", nccmp_ver))
 
-esmf_ver=os.getenv("esmf_ver") or "8.6.0"
+esmf_ver=os.getenv("esmf_ver") or "8.5.0"
 load(pathJoin("esmf", esmf_ver))
 
-nco_ver=os.getenv("nco_ver") or "5.0.6"
+nco_ver=os.getenv("nco_ver") or "5.1.6"
 load(pathJoin("nco", nco_ver))
 
 whatis("Description: UFS_UTILS build environment")
diff --git a/reg_tests/cpld_gridgen/parm/grid.nml.IN b/reg_tests/cpld_gridgen/parm/grid.nml.IN
index 05f1ac04f..a3fcb51f5 100644
--- a/reg_tests/cpld_gridgen/parm/grid.nml.IN
+++ b/reg_tests/cpld_gridgen/parm/grid.nml.IN
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-& grid_nml
+&grid_nml
 ni=NI_GLB
 nj=NJ_GLB
 dirsrc='FIXDIR'
diff --git a/sorc/chgres_cube.fd/program_setup.F90 b/sorc/chgres_cube.fd/program_setup.F90
index 9c3190e80..c6941ad5d 100644
--- a/sorc/chgres_cube.fd/program_setup.F90
+++ b/sorc/chgres_cube.fd/program_setup.F90
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ subroutine read_setup_namelist(filename)
      print*,'- INPUT DATA FROM SPECTRAL GFS GAUSSIAN NEMSIO FILE.'
    case ("gfs_sigio")
      print*,'- INPUT DATA FROM SPECTRAL GFS SIGIO/SFCIO FILE.'
-#endif()
+#endif
    case ("gaussian_netcdf")
      print*,'- INPUT DATA FROM FV3 GAUSSIAN NETCDF FILE.'
    case ("grib2")
diff --git a/sorc/global_cycle.fd/cycle.f90 b/sorc/global_cycle.fd/cycle.f90
index ef6221eae..b85bc2b4d 100644
--- a/sorc/global_cycle.fd/cycle.f90
+++ b/sorc/global_cycle.fd/cycle.f90
@@ -154,7 +154,15 @@ PROGRAM SFC_DRV
  PRINT*,"READ NAMCYC NAMELIST."
 
  CALL BAOPENR(36, "fort.36", IERR)
- READ(36, NML=NAMCYC)
+ IF (IERR /= 0) THEN
+   PRINT*,'FATAL ERROR READING FORT.36 NAMELIST. IERR: ', IERR
+   CALL MPI_ABORT(MPI_COMM_WORLD, 32, IERR) 
+ ENDIF
+ READ(36, NML=NAMCYC, IOSTAT=IERR)
+ IF (IERR /= 0) THEN
+   PRINT*,'FATAL ERROR READING FORT.36 NAMELIST. IERR: ', IERR
+   CALL MPI_ABORT(MPI_COMM_WORLD, 33, IERR) 
+ ENDIF
 !IF (MYRANK==0) WRITE(6,NAMCYC)
 
  IF (MAX_TASKS < 99999 .AND. MYRANK > (MAX_TASKS - 1)) THEN
@@ -412,7 +420,15 @@ SUBROUTINE SFCDRV(LUGB, IDIM,JDIM,LENSFC,LSOIL,DELTSFC,  &
  INPUT_NML_FILE = "NULL"
 
  CALL BAOPENR(37, "fort.37", IERR)
- READ (37, NML=NAMSFCD)
+ IF (IERR /= 0) THEN
+   PRINT*,'FATAL ERROR OPENING FORT.37 NAMELIST. IERR: ', IERR
+   CALL MPI_ABORT(MPI_COMM_WORLD, 30, IERR) 
+ ENDIF
+ READ (37, NML=NAMSFCD, IOSTAT=IERR)
+ IF (IERR /= 0) THEN
+   PRINT*,'FATAL ERROR READING FORT.37 NAMELIST. IERR: ', IERR
+   CALL MPI_ABORT(MPI_COMM_WORLD, 31, IERR) 
+ ENDIF
 
  PRINT*
  PRINT*,'IN ROUTINE SFCDRV,IDIM=',IDIM,'JDIM=',JDIM,'FH=',FH
diff --git a/ush/global_cycle.sh b/ush/global_cycle.sh
index 53e8324f4..e28690bd8 100755
--- a/ush/global_cycle.sh
+++ b/ush/global_cycle.sh
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ cat << EOF > fort.36
  &NAMCYC
   idim=$CRES, jdim=$CRES, lsoil=$LSOIL,
   iy=$iy, im=$im, id=$id, ih=$ih, fh=$FHOUR,
-  deltsfc=$DELTSFC,ialb=$IALB,use_ufo=$use_ufo,donst=$DONST,
+  deltsfc=$DELTSFC,ialb=$IALB,use_ufo=$use_ufo,donst="$DONST",
   do_sfccycle=$DO_SFCCYCLE,do_lndinc=$DO_LNDINC,isot=$ISOT,ivegsrc=$IVEGSRC,
   zsea1_mm=$zsea1,zsea2_mm=$zsea2,MAX_TASKS=$MAX_TASKS_CY,
   frac_grid=$FRAC_GRID