diff --git a/cicecore/cicedyn/infrastructure/ice_grid.F90 b/cicecore/cicedyn/infrastructure/ice_grid.F90
index b775c21f2..0d56d3400 100644
--- a/cicecore/cicedyn/infrastructure/ice_grid.F90
+++ b/cicecore/cicedyn/infrastructure/ice_grid.F90
@@ -507,7 +507,6 @@ subroutine init_grid2
       ! Diagnose OpenMP thread schedule, force order in output
       !-----------------------------------------------------------------
 
-! This code does not work in CESM. Needs to be investigated further.
 #if defined (_OPENMP)
        !$OMP PARALLEL DO ORDERED PRIVATE(iblk) SCHEDULE(runtime)
        do iblk = 1, nblocks
diff --git a/cicecore/cicedyn/infrastructure/io/io_pio2/ice_restart.F90 b/cicecore/cicedyn/infrastructure/io/io_pio2/ice_restart.F90
index 7019f7128..cdfbac87a 100644
--- a/cicecore/cicedyn/infrastructure/io/io_pio2/ice_restart.F90
+++ b/cicecore/cicedyn/infrastructure/io/io_pio2/ice_restart.F90
@@ -749,6 +749,9 @@ subroutine read_restart_field(nu,nrec,work,atype,vname,ndim3,diag, &
 !         if (ndim3 == ncat .and. ncat>1) then
          if (ndim3 == ncat .and. ndims == 3) then
             call pio_read_darray(File, vardesc, iodesc3d_ncat, work, status)
+#ifdef CESMCOUPLED
+            where (work == PIO_FILL_DOUBLE) work = c0
+#endif
             if (present(field_loc)) then
                do n=1,ndim3
                   call ice_HaloUpdate (work(:,:,n,:), halo_info, &
@@ -758,6 +761,9 @@ subroutine read_restart_field(nu,nrec,work,atype,vname,ndim3,diag, &
 !         elseif (ndim3 == 1) then
          elseif (ndim3 == 1 .and. ndims == 2) then
             call pio_read_darray(File, vardesc, iodesc2d, work, status)
+#ifdef CESMCOUPLED
+            where (work == PIO_FILL_DOUBLE) work = c0
+#endif
             if (present(field_loc)) then
                call ice_HaloUpdate (work(:,:,1,:), halo_info, &
                                     field_loc, field_type)
diff --git a/cicecore/shared/ice_fileunits.F90 b/cicecore/shared/ice_fileunits.F90
index 7e425e5e7..72a40f513 100644
--- a/cicecore/shared/ice_fileunits.F90
+++ b/cicecore/shared/ice_fileunits.F90
@@ -81,10 +81,8 @@ module ice_fileunits
       integer (kind=int_kind), public :: &
          nu_diag = ice_stdout  ! diagnostics output file, unit number may be overwritten
 
-#ifdef CESMCOUPLED
       logical (kind=log_kind), public :: &
          nu_diag_set = .false. ! flag to indicate whether nu_diag is already set
-#endif
 
       integer (kind=int_kind), public :: &
          ice_IOUnitsMinUnit = 11, & ! do not use unit numbers below