diff --git a/catalog/cprep_tasmax_day_I35txdetrp1-DeltaSD-A12L01K00_rcp26_r6i1p1_I35Land_20060101-20991231/collection.json b/catalog/cprep_tasmax_day_I35txdetrp1-DeltaSD-A12L01K00_rcp26_r6i1p1_I35Land_20060101-20991231/collection.json
index 275b37ccbd6697e67bebba9ed77ff1572677d2fb..95c80fe298bb51db8e5363ca8eec2c821e283b6b 100644
--- a/catalog/cprep_tasmax_day_I35txdetrp1-DeltaSD-A12L01K00_rcp26_r6i1p1_I35Land_20060101-20991231/collection.json
+++ b/catalog/cprep_tasmax_day_I35txdetrp1-DeltaSD-A12L01K00_rcp26_r6i1p1_I35Land_20060101-20991231/collection.json
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
   "cube:variables": {
     "crs": {
       "dimensions": [],
-      "type": "data",
+      "type": "auxiliary",
       "description": null,
       "unit": null
     },
diff --git a/workflows/archive/cprep_create_collection_from_zarr.ipynb b/workflows/archive/cprep_create_collection_from_zarr.ipynb
index 8b9a1b9da64835deeaffd89deecca5c7e1f8a542..df0be7b8d2d3dae9878db12a38cfe38f8b70f929 100644
--- a/workflows/archive/cprep_create_collection_from_zarr.ipynb
+++ b/workflows/archive/cprep_create_collection_from_zarr.ipynb
@@ -270,6 +270,18 @@
     "## Get crs info"
    ]
   },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "4a981eca-93fd-4a9d-bbdf-52d0a99d6bc0",
+   "metadata": {
+    "tags": []
+   },
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "crs_var = 'crs'"
+   ]
+  },
   {
    "cell_type": "code",
    "execution_count": null,
@@ -280,7 +292,7 @@
    "outputs": [],
    "source": [
     "# use pyproj to automatically extract crs info\n",
-    "crs = pyproj.CRS.from_cf(ds.crs.attrs)\n",
+    "crs = pyproj.CRS.from_cf(ds[crs_var].attrs)\n",
     "\n",
     "# alternatively, create the appropriate cartopy projection\n",
     "# crs = ccrs.LambertConformal(central_longitude=crs_info.longitude_of_central_meridian, \n",
@@ -288,6 +300,30 @@
     "#                             standard_parallels=crs_info.standard_parallel)"
    ]
   },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "1a0f2a58-a126-4438-a4c2-5c35653f4a62",
+   "metadata": {
+    "tags": []
+   },
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "ds[crs_var]"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "a702f7ff-6201-4283-8e8c-c23f685d7165",
+   "metadata": {
+    "tags": []
+   },
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "crs.to_proj4()"
+   ]
+  },
   {
    "cell_type": "markdown",
    "id": "a8c3ed37-8564-400b-a7fb-25bd5e43d21c",
@@ -849,7 +885,7 @@
     "vars_dict={}\n",
     "for v in vars:\n",
     "    unit = stac_helpers.get_unit(ds, v)\n",
-    "    var_type = stac_helpers.get_var_type(ds, v)\n",
+    "    var_type = stac_helpers.get_var_type(ds, v, crs_var)\n",
     "    long_name = stac_helpers.get_long_name(ds, v)\n",
     "    vars_dict[v] = pystac.extensions.datacube.Variable({'dimensions':list(ds[v].dims), 'type': var_type, 'description': long_name, 'unit': unit})"
    ]
diff --git a/workflows/examples/create_collection_from_zarr_conus404-daily.ipynb b/workflows/examples/create_collection_from_zarr_conus404-daily.ipynb
index 58161e5ad0b7268bc9b395e155db170d92319bf4..307828daf6712524fb0f6e672db8dabe5341983f 100644
--- a/workflows/examples/create_collection_from_zarr_conus404-daily.ipynb
+++ b/workflows/examples/create_collection_from_zarr_conus404-daily.ipynb
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@
    "metadata": {},
    "outputs": [],
    "source": [
-    "ds.crs"
+    "ds[crs_var]"
    ]
   },
   {
diff --git a/workflows/examples/create_item_from_zarr_conus404-daily.ipynb b/workflows/examples/create_item_from_zarr_conus404-daily.ipynb
index ad517d534a202cf8c06b1d087f4fbe54bd6612c6..4f4bf9cb9b33698a56ca69a8a793279abb573af6 100644
--- a/workflows/examples/create_item_from_zarr_conus404-daily.ipynb
+++ b/workflows/examples/create_item_from_zarr_conus404-daily.ipynb
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@
    "metadata": {},
    "outputs": [],
    "source": [
-    "ds.crs"
+    "ds[crs_var]"
    ]
   },
   {