diff --git a/src/clib/pio_darray.c b/src/clib/pio_darray.c
index 014770b2f3f..747bb27c94a 100644
--- a/src/clib/pio_darray.c
+++ b/src/clib/pio_darray.c
@@ -267,14 +267,15 @@ int PIOc_write_darray_multi(int ncid, const int *varids, int ioid, int nvars,
     }
     if (iodesc->needssort)
     {
-	tmparray = pio_sorted_copy(iodesc, array, arraylen, nvars);
+	if (!(tmparray = malloc(arraylen*nvars*iodesc->piotype_size)))
+	    return pio_err(ios, NULL, PIO_ENOMEM, __FILE__, __LINE__);
+	pio_sorted_copy(array, tmparray, iodesc, nvars);
     }
     else
     {
 	tmparray = array;
     }
 
-
     /* Move data from compute to IO tasks. */
     if ((ierr = rearrange_comp2io(ios, iodesc, tmparray, file->iobuf, nvars)))
         return pio_err(ios, file, ierr, __FILE__, __LINE__);
@@ -844,8 +845,8 @@ int PIOc_read_darray(int ncid, int varid, int ioid, PIO_Offset arraylen,
     io_desc_t *iodesc;     /* Pointer to IO description information. */
     void *iobuf = NULL;    /* holds the data as read on the io node. */
     size_t rlen = 0;       /* the length of data in iobuf. */
-    int ierr;           /* Return code. */
-
+    int ierr;              /* Return code. */
+    void *tmparray;        /* unsorted copy of array buf if required */
     /* Get the file info. */
     if ((ierr = pio_get_file(ncid, &file)))
         return pio_err(NULL, NULL, PIO_EBADID, __FILE__, __LINE__);
@@ -885,10 +886,24 @@ int PIOc_read_darray(int ncid, int varid, int ioid, PIO_Offset arraylen,
         return pio_err(NULL, NULL, PIO_EBADIOTYPE, __FILE__, __LINE__);
     }
 
+    if (iodesc->needssort)
+    {
+	if (!(tmparray = malloc(iodesc->piotype_size*iodesc->maplen)))
+	    return pio_err(ios, NULL, PIO_ENOMEM, __FILE__, __LINE__);
+    }
+    else
+	tmparray = array;
+
     /* Rearrange the data. */
-    if ((ierr = rearrange_io2comp(ios, iodesc, iobuf, array)))
+    if ((ierr = rearrange_io2comp(ios, iodesc, iobuf, tmparray)))
         return pio_err(ios, file, ierr, __FILE__, __LINE__);
 
+    if (iodesc->needssort)
+    {
+	pio_sorted_copy(tmparray, array, iodesc, 1);
+	free(tmparray);
+    }
+
     /* Free the buffer. */
     if (rlen > 0)
         brel(iobuf);
diff --git a/src/clib/pio_darray_int.c b/src/clib/pio_darray_int.c
index 337dba265e6..eed9d975231 100644
--- a/src/clib/pio_darray_int.c
+++ b/src/clib/pio_darray_int.c
@@ -1906,13 +1906,9 @@ int flush_buffer(int ncid, wmulti_buffer *wmb, bool flushtodisk)
     return PIO_NOERR;
 }
 
-void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int nvars)
+int pio_sorted_copy(const void *array, void *sortedarray, io_desc_t *iodesc, int nvars)
 {
-    void *tmparray;
-    if (!(tmparray = malloc(iodesc->piotype_size * arraylen)))
-	return NULL;
-
-    int maplen = arraylen / nvars;
+    int maplen = iodesc->maplen;
     switch (iodesc->piotype)
     {
     case PIO_BYTE:
@@ -1920,7 +1916,7 @@ void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int n
 	{
 	    for (int m=0; m < maplen; m++)
 	    {
-		((signed char *)tmparray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((signed char *)array)[m+maplen*v];
+		((signed char *)sortedarray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((signed char *)array)[m+maplen*v];
 	    }
 	}
 	break;
@@ -1929,7 +1925,7 @@ void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int n
 	{
 	    for (int m=0; m < maplen; m++)
 	    {
-		((char *)tmparray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((char *)array)[m+maplen*v];
+		((char *)sortedarray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((char *)array)[m+maplen*v];
 	    }
 	}
 	break;
@@ -1938,7 +1934,7 @@ void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int n
 	{
 	    for (int m=0; m < maplen; m++)
 	    {
-		((short *)tmparray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((short *)array)[m+maplen*v];
+		((short *)sortedarray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((short *)array)[m+maplen*v];
 	    }
 	}
 
@@ -1948,7 +1944,7 @@ void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int n
 	{
 	    for (int m=0; m < maplen; m++)
 	    {
-		((int *)tmparray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((int *)array)[m+maplen*v];
+		((int *)sortedarray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((int *)array)[m+maplen*v];
 	    }
 	}
 	break;
@@ -1957,7 +1953,7 @@ void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int n
 	{
 	    for (int m=0; m < maplen; m++)
 	    {
-		((float *)tmparray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((float *)array)[m+maplen*v];
+		((float *)sortedarray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((float *)array)[m+maplen*v];
 	    }
 	}
 	break;
@@ -1966,7 +1962,7 @@ void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int n
 	{
 	    for (int m=0; m < maplen; m++)
 	    {
-		((double *)tmparray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((double *)array)[m+maplen*v];
+		((double *)sortedarray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((double *)array)[m+maplen*v];
 	    }
 	}
 	break;
@@ -1975,7 +1971,7 @@ void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int n
 	{
 	    for (int m=0; m < maplen; m++)
 	    {
-		((unsigned char *)tmparray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((unsigned char *)array)[m+maplen*v];
+		((unsigned char *)sortedarray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((unsigned char *)array)[m+maplen*v];
 	    }
 	}
 	break;
@@ -1984,7 +1980,7 @@ void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int n
 	{
 	    for (int m=0; m < maplen; m++)
 	    {
-		((unsigned short *)tmparray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((unsigned short *)array)[m+maplen*v];
+		((unsigned short *)sortedarray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((unsigned short *)array)[m+maplen*v];
 	    }
 	}
 	break;
@@ -1993,7 +1989,7 @@ void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int n
 	{
 	    for (int m=0; m < maplen; m++)
 	    {
-		((unsigned int *)tmparray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((unsigned int *)array)[m+maplen*v];
+		((unsigned int *)sortedarray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((unsigned int *)array)[m+maplen*v];
 	    }
 	}
 	break;
@@ -2002,7 +1998,7 @@ void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int n
 	{
 	    for (int m=0; m < maplen; m++)
 	    {
-		((long long *)tmparray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((long long *)array)[m+maplen*v];
+		((long long *)sortedarray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((long long *)array)[m+maplen*v];
 	    }
 	}
 	break;
@@ -2011,7 +2007,7 @@ void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int n
 	{
 	    for (int m=0; m < maplen; m++)
 	    {
-		((unsigned long long *)tmparray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((unsigned long long *)array)[m+maplen*v];
+		((unsigned long long *)sortedarray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((unsigned long long *)array)[m+maplen*v];
 	    }
 	}
 	break;
@@ -2020,11 +2016,12 @@ void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int n
 	{
 	    for (int m=0; m < maplen; m++)
 	    {
-		((char **)tmparray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((char **)array)[m+maplen*v];
+		((char **)sortedarray)[iodesc->remap[m]] = ((char **)array)[m+maplen*v];
 	    }
 	}
 	break;
     default:
-	return NULL;
+	return pio_err(NULL, NULL, PIO_EBADTYPE, __FILE__, __LINE__);
     }
+    return PIO_NOERR;
 }
diff --git a/src/clib/pio_internal.h b/src/clib/pio_internal.h
index 11840018d17..d2a85be6e2e 100644
--- a/src/clib/pio_internal.h
+++ b/src/clib/pio_internal.h
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ extern "C" {
     int determine_procs(int num_io_procs, int component_count, int *num_procs_per_comp,
                         int **proc_list, int **my_proc_list);
 
-    void *pio_sorted_copy(io_desc_t *iodesc, void *array, PIO_Offset arraylen, int nvars);
+    int pio_sorted_copy(const void *array, void *tmparray, io_desc_t *iodesc, int nvars);
 #if defined(__cplusplus)
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/src/clib/pio_rearrange.c b/src/clib/pio_rearrange.c
index dbda0744bfe..1ad4c1817fc 100644
--- a/src/clib/pio_rearrange.c
+++ b/src/clib/pio_rearrange.c
@@ -986,6 +986,7 @@ int rearrange_io2comp(iosystem_desc_t *ios, io_desc_t *iodesc, void *sbuf,
     int niotasks;
     int mpierr; /* Return code from MPI calls. */
     int ret;
+    void *tmparray;
 
     /* Check inputs. */
     pioassert(ios && iodesc, "invalid input", __FILE__, __LINE__);
diff --git a/src/clib/pio_spmd.c b/src/clib/pio_spmd.c
index da2eef333b0..515cdd7da8e 100644
--- a/src/clib/pio_spmd.c
+++ b/src/clib/pio_spmd.c
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ int pio_swapm(void *sendbuf, int *sendcounts, int *sdispls, MPI_Datatype *sendty
 #if PIO_ENABLE_LOGGING
     {
         for (int p = 0; p < ntasks; p++)
-            LOG((3, "sendcounts[%d] = %d sdispls[%d] = %d sendtypes[%d] = %d recvcounts[%d] = %d "
+            LOG((4, "sendcounts[%d] = %d sdispls[%d] = %d sendtypes[%d] = %d recvcounts[%d] = %d "
                  "rdispls[%d] = %d recvtypes[%d] = %d", p, sendcounts[p], p, sdispls[p], p,
                  sendtypes[p], p, recvcounts[p], p, rdispls[p], p, recvtypes[p]));
     }
diff --git a/src/clib/pioc.c b/src/clib/pioc.c
index 39bdbb0212a..87cda84f37f 100644
--- a/src/clib/pioc.c
+++ b/src/clib/pioc.c
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ void pio_map_sort(const PIO_Offset *map, int *remap, int maplen)
 	switched = false;
 	for(int i=1; i<maplen; i++)
 	{
-	    if (map[remap[i-1]] < map[remap[i]])
+	    if (map[remap[i-1]] > map[remap[i]])
 	    {
 		int remaptemp = remap[i];
 		remap[i] = remap[i-1];
@@ -531,9 +531,7 @@ int PIOc_InitDecomp(int iosysid, int pio_type, int ndims, const int *gdimlen, in
 	    iodesc->remap[m] = m;
 	pio_map_sort(compmap, iodesc->remap, maplen);
 	for (int m=0; m < maplen; m++)
-	{
 	    iodesc->map[iodesc->remap[m]] = compmap[m];
-	}
     }
     else
     {