diff --git a/mediator/med_methods_mod.F90 b/mediator/med_methods_mod.F90
index 54fe20ec1..649c9c511 100644
--- a/mediator/med_methods_mod.F90
+++ b/mediator/med_methods_mod.F90
@@ -1354,7 +1354,10 @@ subroutine med_methods_FB_accum(FBout, FBin, copy, rc)
         call med_methods_Field_GetFldPtr(lfield, fldptr1=dataptro1, fldptr2=dataptro2, rank=lranko, rc=rc)
         if (chkerr(rc,__LINE__,u_FILE_u)) return
 
-        if (lranki == 1 .and. lranko == 1) then
+        if (lranki == 0 .and. lranko == 0) then
+           ! do nothing
+          call ESMF_LogWrite(trim(subname)//": Both ranki and ranko are 0", ESMF_LOGMSG_INFO)
+        elseif (lranki == 1 .and. lranko == 1) then
 
           if (.not.med_methods_FieldPtr_Compare(dataPtro1, dataPtri1, subname, rc)) then
             call ESMF_LogWrite(trim(subname)//": ERROR in dataPtr1 size ", ESMF_LOGMSG_ERROR)
@@ -1397,7 +1400,7 @@ subroutine med_methods_FB_accum(FBout, FBin, copy, rc)
         else
 
           write(msgString,'(a,2i8)') trim(subname)//": ranki, ranko = ",lranki,lranko
-          call ESMF_LogWrite(trim(msgString), ESMF_LOGMSG_INFO)
+          call ESMF_LogWrite(trim(msgString), ESMF_LOGMSG_ERROR)
           call ESMF_LogWrite(trim(subname)//": ERROR ranki ranko not supported "//trim(lfieldnamelist(n)), &
                ESMF_LOGMSG_ERROR)
           rc = ESMF_FAILURE