Zero-diff changes to sfc updates, to speed up v17 (develop branch)

[ClaraDraper-NOAA]

Merge of dev/gfs17 PR into develop.

Type of change

• [ x] Code improvement

Change characteristics

• Is this change expected to change outputs (e.g. value changes to existing outputs, new files stored in COM, files removed from COM, filename changes, additions/subtractions to archives)? NO

• Is this a breaking change (a change in existing functionality)? NO

• Does this change require a documentation update? NO

• Does this change require an update to any of the following submodules? YES

  • [ x] UFS-utils PR (merged)

CSD

How has this been tested?

Testing underway.

Checklist

• [ x] Any dependent changes have been merged and published
• [ x] My code follows the style guidelines of this project
• [ x] I have performed a self-review of my own code
• [ x] I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
• [ x] I have documented my code, including function, input, and output descriptions
• [x ] My changes generate no new warnings
• New and existing tests pass with my changes
• [ x] This change is covered by an existing CI test or a new one has been added
• [ x] Any new scripts have been added to the .github/CODEOWNERS file with owners
• [ x] I have made corresponding changes to the system documentation if necessary