diff --git a/.github/ref/OM4.single_column.COBALT.p4/docker-linux-gnu/MOM.res.nc b/.github/ref/OM4.single_column.COBALT.p4/docker-linux-gnu/MOM.res.nc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6cd0a18
Binary files /dev/null and b/.github/ref/OM4.single_column.COBALT.p4/docker-linux-gnu/MOM.res.nc differ
diff --git a/.github/ref/OM4.single_column.COBALT.p4/docker-linux-gnu/ocean.stats b/.github/ref/OM4.single_column.COBALT.p4/docker-linux-gnu/ocean.stats
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0963eee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/ref/OM4.single_column.COBALT.p4/docker-linux-gnu/ocean.stats
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+  Step,       Day,  Truncs,      Energy/Mass,      Maximum CFL,  Mean Sea Level,  Total Mass,  Mean Salin, Mean Temp, Frac Mass Err,   Salin Err,    Temp Err
+            [days]                 [m2 s-2]           [Nondim]       [m]             [kg]         [PSU]      [degC]       [Nondim]        [PSU]        [degC]
+     0,  731595.000,     0, En 4.0531850015098383E-27, CFL  0.00000, SL -0.0000E+00, M 6.97073E+15, S 35.2427, T  6.2462, Me  0.00E+00, Se  0.00E+00, Te  0.00E+00
+    18,  731595.250,     0, En 2.3854654580464527E-06, CFL  0.00372, SL -3.6569E-06, M 6.97073E+15, S 35.2427, T  6.2460, Me -9.14E-10, Se -2.87E-07, Te -2.53E-06
+    36,  731595.500,     0, En 4.7618800034270000E-06, CFL  0.00348, SL -6.7408E-06, M 6.97073E+15, S 35.2427, T  6.2457, Me -7.71E-10, Se -7.18E-07, Te -7.00E-06
+    54,  731595.750,     0, En 1.1464049165959475E-05, CFL  0.00749, SL -9.5684E-06, M 6.97073E+15, S 35.2427, T  6.2459, Me -7.07E-10, Se -9.88E-07, Te -1.03E-05
+    72,  731596.000,     0, En 2.3222960705556885E-05, CFL  0.00881, SL -1.4119E-05, M 6.97073E+15, S 35.2427, T  6.2457, Me -1.14E-09, Se -1.40E-06, Te -1.41E-05
+    90,  731596.250,     0, En 2.9040534962143268E-05, CFL  0.00771, SL -1.8938E-05, M 6.97073E+15, S 35.2427, T  6.2454, Me -1.20E-09, Se -1.96E-06, Te -1.97E-05
+   108,  731596.500,     0, En 3.6391342252032763E-05, CFL  0.00790, SL -2.3731E-05, M 6.97073E+15, S 35.2427, T  6.2451, Me -1.20E-09, Se -2.38E-06, Te -2.44E-05
+   126,  731596.750,     0, En 4.2200585475070879E-05, CFL  0.00923, SL -2.8306E-05, M 6.97073E+15, S 35.2427, T  6.2453, Me -1.14E-09, Se -2.80E-06, Te -2.88E-05
+   144,  731597.000,     0, En 4.6813518525667337E-05, CFL  0.00922, SL -3.1872E-05, M 6.97073E+15, S 35.2427, T  6.2453, Me -8.91E-10, Se -3.11E-06, Te -3.18E-05
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cobalt_ci.yml b/.github/workflows/cobalt_ci.yml
index ad2e8d2..a10ba02 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cobalt_ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cobalt_ci.yml
@@ -65,7 +65,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: baseline check
         run: |      
           cd ../MOM6_OBGC_examples/exps/OM4.single_column.COBALT.p4
-          # check 
-          diff -q ref/ocean.stats ./ocean.stats > /dev/null || { echo "Error: ocean.stats are different. Exiting..."; exit 1; }
-          diff -q ref/MOM.res.nc ./RESTART/MOM.res.nc > /dev/null || { echo "Error: MOM.res.nc are different. Exiting..."; exit 1; }
-          #nccmp -dfqS ref/MOM.res.nc ./RESTART/MOM.res.nc || { echo "Error: MOM.res.nc are different. Exiting..."; exit 1; }
+          mkdir -p ref
+          cp ../../src/ocean_BGC/.github/ref/OM4.single_column.COBALT.p4/docker-linux-gnu/* ./ref
+          # check ocean.stats 
+          diff -q ref/ocean.stats ./ocean.stats > /dev/null || { echo "Error: ocean.stats are different, check and update ref! Exiting now..."; exit 1; }
+          # check MOM.res.nc
+          ncdump ref/MOM.res.nc > org_ref.txt
+          ncdump RESTART/MOM.res.nc > new_ref.txt
+          diff -q ./org_ref.txt ./new_ref.txt > /dev/null || { echo "Error: MOM.res.nc are different, check and update ref! Exiting now..."; exit 1; }