diff --git a/cice.setup b/cice.setup
index 8511f4cae..8dc46005a 100755
--- a/cice.setup
+++ b/cice.setup
@@ -390,6 +390,18 @@ if ((${dosuite} == 1 || ${dotest} == 1) && ${testid} == ${spval}) then
   exit -1
 endif
 
+# This creates a new sandbox and modifies the source code for "improved" lcov analysis
+# Turn this if block off if you don't want coverage to do that
+if ($coverage == 1) then
+  set sandbox_lcov = ${ICE_SANDBOX}/../cice_lcov_${sdate}-${stime}
+  cp -p -r ${ICE_SANDBOX} ${sandbox_lcov}
+  echo "shifting to sandbox = ${sandbox_lcov}"
+  set ICE_SANDBOX = ${sandbox_lcov}
+  set ICE_SCRIPTS = "${ICE_SANDBOX}/configuration/scripts"
+  cd ${ICE_SANDBOX}
+  ${ICE_SCRIPTS}/tests/lcov_modify_source.sh
+endif
+
 #---------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Setup tsfile and test suite support stuff
 
diff --git a/cicecore/cicedynB/dynamics/ice_dyn_evp.F90 b/cicecore/cicedynB/dynamics/ice_dyn_evp.F90
index d8ce42681..2206e0de7 100644
--- a/cicecore/cicedynB/dynamics/ice_dyn_evp.F90
+++ b/cicecore/cicedynB/dynamics/ice_dyn_evp.F90
@@ -361,8 +361,7 @@ subroutine evp (dt)
           first_time = .false.
         endif
         if (trim(grid_type) == 'tripole') then
-          call abort_ice(trim(subname)//' &
-             & Kernel not tested on tripole grid. Set kevp_kernel=0')
+          call abort_ice(trim(subname)//' Kernel not tested on tripole grid. Set kevp_kernel=0')
         endif
         call ice_dyn_evp_1d_copyin(                                                &
           nx_block,ny_block,nblocks,nx_global+2*nghost,ny_global+2*nghost, &
diff --git a/configuration/scripts/tests/lcov_modify_source.sh b/configuration/scripts/tests/lcov_modify_source.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..ceadca4f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/configuration/scripts/tests/lcov_modify_source.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+filelist=`find cicecore icepack -type f -name "*.F90"`
+LCOV_EXCL="  ! LCOV_EXCL_LINE"
+
+#echo $filelist
+
+for file in $filelist; do
+
+  echo $file
+  ofile=${file}.orig
+  nfile=${file}
+
+  mv ${file} ${file}.orig
+
+  # line by line making sure each line has a trailing newline (-n)
+  # preserve whitespace (IFS)
+  # and include backslashes (-r)
+  IFS=''
+  contblock=0
+  cat $ofile | while read -r line || [[ -n $line ]]; do
+
+    if [[ $contblock == 1 ]]; then
+        # in a continuation block
+        if [[ $line =~ ^.*"&".*$ ]]; then
+            # found another continuation line, add exclude string and write out line
+            echo ${line} ${LCOV_EXCL} >> ${nfile}
+        else
+            # continuation block ends, write out line
+            contblock=0
+            echo ${line} >> ${nfile}
+        fi
+    else
+        # not in a continuation block, write out line
+        echo ${line} >> ${nfile}
+        if [[ $line =~ ^\s*.*"&".*$ && ! $line =~ ^\s*( if ).*$ ]]; then
+            # new continuation block found
+            contblock=1
+        fi
+    fi
+
+  done
+
+done
diff --git a/doc/source/user_guide/ug_testing.rst b/doc/source/user_guide/ug_testing.rst
index 4a4ced555..5a289db6a 100644
--- a/doc/source/user_guide/ug_testing.rst
+++ b/doc/source/user_guide/ug_testing.rst
@@ -715,7 +715,10 @@ This argument turns on special compiler flags including reduced optimization and
 invokes the gcov tool.  Once runs are complete, either lcov or codecov can be used
 to analyze the results.
 This option is currently only available with the gnu compiler and on a few systems
-with modified Macros files.
+with modified Macros files.  In the current implementation, when ``--coverage`` is 
+invoked, the sandbox is copied to a new sandbox called something like cice_lcov_yymmdd-hhmmss.
+The source code in the new sandbox is modified slightly to improve coverage statistics
+and the full coverage suite is run there.
 
 At the present time, the ``--coverage`` flag invokes the lcov analysis automatically
 by running the **report_lcov.csh** script in the test suite directory.  The output