diff --git a/config/longrun_configs/amip_target_topo.yml b/config/longrun_configs/amip_target_topo.yml
index 3fc472091a..7361018d4e 100644
--- a/config/longrun_configs/amip_target_topo.yml
+++ b/config/longrun_configs/amip_target_topo.yml
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ hourly_checkpoint: true
 land_albedo_type: "map_temporal"
 mode_name: "amip"
 mono_surface: false
+hyperdiffusion: "ClimaHyperdiffusion"
 netcdf_interpolate_z_over_msl: true
 rad: "allskywithclear"
 start_date: "20100101"
@@ -22,4 +23,4 @@ t_end: "100days"
 topo_smoothing: true
 topography: "Earth"
 turb_flux_partition: "CombinedStateFluxesMOST"
-vert_diff: "true"
+vert_diff: "FriersonDiffusion"
diff --git a/config/longrun_configs/slabplanet_aqua_coupler_sf_evolve_ocn.yml b/config/longrun_configs/slabplanet_aqua_coupler_sf_evolve_ocn.yml
index cb533a2a94..ad57a1b47f 100644
--- a/config/longrun_configs/slabplanet_aqua_coupler_sf_evolve_ocn.yml
+++ b/config/longrun_configs/slabplanet_aqua_coupler_sf_evolve_ocn.yml
@@ -16,4 +16,4 @@ start_date: "19790301"
 surface_setup: "PrescribedSurface"
 t_end: "20days"
 turb_flux_partition: "CombinedStateFluxesMOST"
-vert_diff: "true"
+vert_diff: "FriersonDiffusion"
diff --git a/experiments/ClimaEarth/components/atmosphere/climaatmos.jl b/experiments/ClimaEarth/components/atmosphere/climaatmos.jl
index 4809a9321e..25f9c253bd 100644
--- a/experiments/ClimaEarth/components/atmosphere/climaatmos.jl
+++ b/experiments/ClimaEarth/components/atmosphere/climaatmos.jl
@@ -305,9 +305,13 @@ function get_atmos_config_dict(coupler_dict::Dict, job_id::String)
     atmos_config_file = coupler_dict["atmos_config_file"]
     atmos_config_repo = coupler_dict["atmos_config_repo"]
     # override default or specified configs with coupler arguments, and set the correct atmos config_file
+    comms_ctx = ClimaComms.context()
+    @info atmos_config_repo
     if atmos_config_repo == "ClimaCoupler"
         @assert !isnothing(atmos_config_file) "Must specify `atmos_config_file` within ClimaCoupler."
-        @info "Using Atmos configuration from ClimaCoupler in $atmos_config_file"
+        if ClimaComms.iamroot(comms_ctx)
+            @info "Using Atmos configuration from ClimaCoupler in $atmos_config_file"
+        end
         atmos_config = merge(
             CA.override_default_config(joinpath(pkgdir(ClimaCoupler), atmos_config_file)),
             coupler_dict,
@@ -315,10 +319,14 @@ function get_atmos_config_dict(coupler_dict::Dict, job_id::String)
         )
     elseif atmos_config_repo == "ClimaAtmos"
         if isnothing(atmos_config_file)
-            @info "Using Atmos default configuration"
+            if ClimaComms.iamroot(comms_ctx)
+                @info "Using Atmos default configuration"
+            end
             atmos_config = merge(CA.default_config_dict(), coupler_dict, Dict("config_file" => atmos_config_file))
         else
-            @info "Using Atmos configuration from $atmos_config_file"
+            if ClimaComms.iamroot(comms_ctx)
+                @info "Using Atmos configuration from $atmos_config_file"
+            end
             atmos_config = merge(
                 CA.override_default_config(joinpath(pkgdir(CA), atmos_config_file)),
                 coupler_dict,
@@ -339,7 +347,9 @@ function get_atmos_config_dict(coupler_dict::Dict, job_id::String)
     toml_file = isnothing(toml_file) ? joinpath(pkgdir(ClimaCoupler), default_toml_file) : toml_file
 
     if !isnothing(toml_file)
-        @info "Overwriting Atmos parameters from $toml_file"
+        if ClimaComms.iamroot(comms_ctx)
+            @info "Overwriting Atmos parameters from $toml_file"
+        end
         atmos_config = merge(atmos_config, Dict("toml" => [toml_file]))
     end
 
diff --git a/experiments/ClimaEarth/run_amip.jl b/experiments/ClimaEarth/run_amip.jl
index e80844306d..17c9ae2dea 100644
--- a/experiments/ClimaEarth/run_amip.jl
+++ b/experiments/ClimaEarth/run_amip.jl
@@ -108,6 +108,9 @@ job_id = parsed_args["job_id"]
 config_dict = YAML.load_file(parsed_args["config_file"])
 config_dict = merge(parsed_args, config_dict)
 
+comms_ctx = Utilities.get_comms_context(parsed_args)
+ClimaComms.init(comms_ctx)
+
 ## get component model dictionaries (if applicable)
 atmos_config_dict, config_dict = get_atmos_config_dict(config_dict, job_id)
 atmos_config_object = CA.AtmosConfig(atmos_config_dict)
@@ -138,8 +141,6 @@ We set up communication context for CPU single thread/CPU with MPI/GPU. If no de
 then `ClimaComms` automatically selects the device from which this code is called.
 =#
 
-comms_ctx = Utilities.get_comms_context(parsed_args)
-ClimaComms.init(comms_ctx)
 
 ## make sure we don't use animations for GPU runs
 if comms_ctx.device isa ClimaComms.CUDADevice
diff --git a/src/Utilities.jl b/src/Utilities.jl
index c4494ffb67..46b4c7fd36 100644
--- a/src/Utilities.jl
+++ b/src/Utilities.jl
@@ -60,12 +60,12 @@ function get_comms_context(parsed_args)
     comms_ctx = ClimaComms.context(device)
     ClimaComms.init(comms_ctx)
 
-    @info "Running on $(nameof(typeof(device)))."
-
     if comms_ctx isa ClimaComms.SingletonCommsContext
-        @info "Setting up single-process ClimaCoupler run"
+        @info "Setting up single-process ClimaCoupler run on device: $(nameof(typeof(device)))."
     else
-        @info "Setting up distributed ClimaCoupler run" nprocs = ClimaComms.nprocs(comms_ctx)
+        if ClimaComms.iamroot(comms_ctx)
+            @info "Setting up distributed ClimaCoupler run on " nprocs = ClimaComms.nprocs(comms_ctx) device = "$(nameof(typeof(device)))"
+        end
     end
 
     return comms_ctx