_encode_esmf applies the UGRID→ESMF index offset to the whole face_node_connectivity array, padding included, and then encodes elementConn as int32. INT_FILL_VALUE + 1 is -2**63 + 1, and narrowing that to int32 truncates it to 1, so every padded slot of a ragged mesh is written to disk as node 0.
Nothing raises, and the resulting file is structurally valid, so any reader — including uxarray's own — takes those slots for real vertices. Faces gain spurious extra nodes and produce incorrect polygons.
Sub-issue of #1658
_encode_esmf applies the UGRID→ESMF index offset to the whole face_node_connectivity array, padding included, and then encodes elementConn as int32. INT_FILL_VALUE + 1 is -2**63 + 1, and narrowing that to int32 truncates it to 1, so every padded slot of a ragged mesh is written to disk as node 0.
Nothing raises, and the resulting file is structurally valid, so any reader — including uxarray's own — takes those slots for real vertices. Faces gain spurious extra nodes and produce incorrect polygons.
Sub-issue of #1658