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I believe this has to do with the underlying file format used by netcdf. Because of its semantics, netcdf must allocate space for all unlimited variables for each unlimited instance. Thus, the space consumed on disk by each unlimited instance is actually the sum of the space required for each unlimited variable. Thus, if one unlimited var is a short and one is a float, then every time the unlimited count for the short variable is extended, it must also allocate space for the float variable in case, later, you extend the unlimited count for the float. If you use netcdf-4 extended (i.e.--enable-netcdf4) then space allocation is per variable and you will not see this kind of effect. Ticket Details =================== Ticket ID: AMR-714212 Department: Support netCDF Priority: Normal Status: Open