diff --git a/src/SURFEX/modd_types_glt.F90 b/src/SURFEX/modd_types_glt.F90
index 5614483e3d288c4ead76aa082e558ff4379eb440..0079a1cfe5ccdb3f0988f6ed1f393dbe842e0432 100644
--- a/src/SURFEX/modd_types_glt.F90
+++ b/src/SURFEX/modd_types_glt.F90
@@ -60,6 +60,8 @@
 !           components to t_tfl
 ! Modified: 2013/07 (S. Senesi) : #ifdef in_surfex for dynamic arrays 
 !           in t_glt
+! Modified: 2018/09 (J. Escobar): initialize bat => NULL() , 
+!           used in associated statement   
 ! -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 !
 MODULE modd_types_glt
@@ -698,7 +700,7 @@ TYPE t_glt
 !
 ! Bathymetry (in meters)
   REAL, DIMENSION(:,:), POINTER ::  &
-    bat
+    bat => NULL()
 ! Main domain 
   TYPE(t_dom), DIMENSION(:,:), POINTER ::  &
     dom