[MITgcm-support] parameter file read

[Thomas Haine]

Hi Folks, 

I'm experiencing some unfamiliar behaviour reading parameter files. In
verification/lab_sea (latest release) if I corrupt one of the parameter
names I get no error message but the subsequent parameter settings are
ignored.

E.g.:

> # SEAICE parameters
>  &SEAICE_PARM01
>       SEAICEwriteState   = .TRUE.,
>       SEAICE_initialHEFF = 1.0,
>       SEAICE_deltaTtherm = 3600.,
>       XXXXXX_deltaTdyn   = 3600.,
> #     SEAICEuseDYNAMICS  =.FALSE.,
>       LSR_ERROR          = 1.E-12,
> #     SEAICE_tave_mnc    = .FALSE.,
>  &

gives no error and output.txt shows the initial thickness field is set
correctly at 1.0m, but the LSR_ERROR is still at its default value. In
other words everything after the illegal parameter is ignored.

This behaviour also seems to apply to data.kpp. But I get an runtime
namelist error if I corrupt a parameter name in data or data.gmredi
(which is what I normally expect to see).

This has caused me some headaches because updating my code caused my
seaice parameter settings to change without me realising for a while
(e.g., my seaice initial condition file was not read and I got the
default seaice ics). I guess that my old parameters were no longer all
valid and the settings below the defunct parameters were ignored without
giving me a runtime error.

Can you clarify if I have this right and what is the policy on reading
data files?

Thanks, Tom.