diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index 3e124a9785..17adddb04a 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ ClimaCoupler.jl Release Notes
 
 ### ClimaCoupler features
 
+#### Change some closures used in the Oceananigans model PR[#1524](https://github.com/CliMA/ClimaCoupler.jl/pull/1524)
+Per ocean team recommendation, we changed some closures to be non-default.
+
 #### Change the behavior of `detect_restart_file` PR[#1515](https://github.com/CliMA/ClimaCoupler.jl/pull/1515)
 Users now only need to specify `restart_dir` and `restart_t` to restart a simulation from a specific file, and do
 not need to set `detect_restart_file` to true. `detect_restart_file` is used for detecting restart file automatically.
diff --git a/Project.toml b/Project.toml
index 37cf48d729..26b427558f 100644
--- a/Project.toml
+++ b/Project.toml
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ Dates = "1"
 JLD2 = "0.5, 0.6"
 Logging = "1"
 SciMLBase = "~2.110, ~2.111, ~2.112"
-StaticArrays = "1.6"
+StaticArrays = "1.9.8"
 SurfaceFluxes = "0.12.3, 0.13"
 Thermodynamics = "0.14.1, 0.15"
 julia = "1.10"
diff --git a/experiments/ClimaEarth/components/ocean/oceananigans.jl b/experiments/ClimaEarth/components/ocean/oceananigans.jl
index fd44886bb8..7c4e3d6e9e 100644
--- a/experiments/ClimaEarth/components/ocean/oceananigans.jl
+++ b/experiments/ClimaEarth/components/ocean/oceananigans.jl
@@ -108,7 +108,24 @@ function OceananigansSimulation(
     end
 
     # Create ocean simulation
-    ocean = CO.ocean_simulation(grid; forcing)
+    free_surface = OC.SplitExplicitFreeSurface(grid; substeps = 70)
+    momentum_advection = OC.WENOVectorInvariant(order = 5)
+    tracer_advection = OC.WENO(order = 5)
+    eddy_closure = OC.TurbulenceClosures.IsopycnalSkewSymmetricDiffusivity(
+        κ_skew = 1e3,
+        κ_symmetric = 1e3,
+    )
+    vertical_mixing = CO.OceanSimulations.default_ocean_closure()
+    horizontal_viscosity = OC.HorizontalScalarBiharmonicDiffusivity(ν = 1e11)
+
+    ocean = CO.ocean_simulation(
+        grid;
+        forcing,
+        momentum_advection,
+        tracer_advection,
+        free_surface,
+        closure = (eddy_closure, horizontal_viscosity, vertical_mixing),
+    )
 
     # Set initial condition to EN4 state estimate at start_date
     OC.set!(ocean.model, T = en4_temperature[1], S = en4_salinity[1])
@@ -147,8 +164,6 @@ function OceananigansSimulation(
 
     # Before version 0.96.22, the NetCDFWriter was broken on GPU
     if arch isa OC.CPU || pkgversion(OC) >= v"0.96.22"
-        # TODO: Add more diagnostics, make them dependent on simulation duration, take
-        # monthly averages
         # Save all tracers and velocities to a NetCDF file at daily frequency
         outputs = merge(ocean.model.tracers, ocean.model.velocities)
         netcdf_writer = OC.NetCDFWriter(
@@ -286,9 +301,9 @@ Interfacer.get_field(sim::OceananigansSimulation, ::Val{:roughness_momentum}) =
 Interfacer.get_field(sim::OceananigansSimulation, ::Val{:beta}) = Float32(1)
 Interfacer.get_field(sim::OceananigansSimulation, ::Val{:emissivity}) = Float32(0.97)
 Interfacer.get_field(sim::OceananigansSimulation, ::Val{:surface_direct_albedo}) =
-    Float32(0.06)
+    Float32(0.011)
 Interfacer.get_field(sim::OceananigansSimulation, ::Val{:surface_diffuse_albedo}) =
-    Float32(0.06)
+    Float32(0.069)
 
 # NOTE: This is 3D, but it will be remapped to 2D
 Interfacer.get_field(sim::OceananigansSimulation, ::Val{:surface_temperature}) =