diff --git a/polaris/ocean/tasks/manufactured_solution/viz.py b/polaris/ocean/tasks/manufactured_solution/viz.py
index 86d287b27..2de17ece8 100644
--- a/polaris/ocean/tasks/manufactured_solution/viz.py
+++ b/polaris/ocean/tasks/manufactured_solution/viz.py
@@ -135,6 +135,8 @@ def run(self):
         section = config['manufactured_solution']
         eta0 = section.getfloat('ssh_amplitude')
 
+        model = config.get('ocean', 'model')
+
         use_mplstyle()
         fig, axes = plt.subplots(nrows=nres, ncols=3, figsize=(12, 2 * nres))
         rmse = []
@@ -146,14 +148,20 @@ def run(self):
             ds_init = self.open_model_dataset(
                 f'init_r{refinement_factor:02g}.nc')
             ds = self.open_model_dataset(
-                f'output_r{refinement_factor:02g}.nc')
+                f'output_r{refinement_factor:02g}.nc', decode_times=False)
             exact = ExactSolution(config, ds_init)
 
-            t0 = datetime.datetime.strptime(ds.xtime.values[0].decode(),
-                                            '%Y-%m-%d_%H:%M:%S')
-            tf = datetime.datetime.strptime(ds.xtime.values[-1].decode(),
-                                            '%Y-%m-%d_%H:%M:%S')
-            t = (tf - t0).total_seconds()
+            if model == 'mpas-o':
+                t0 = datetime.datetime.strptime(ds.xtime.values[0].decode(),
+                                                '%Y-%m-%d_%H:%M:%S')
+                tf = datetime.datetime.strptime(ds.xtime.values[-1].decode(),
+                                                '%Y-%m-%d_%H:%M:%S')
+                t = (tf - t0).total_seconds()
+
+            else:
+                # time is seconds since the start of the simulation in Omega
+                t = ds.Time[-1].values
+
             ssh_model = ds.ssh.values[-1, :]
             rmse.append(np.sqrt(np.mean((ssh_model - exact.ssh(t).values)**2)))