diff --git a/debug_reading_netcdf.py b/debug_reading_netcdf.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5ef5b69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/debug_reading_netcdf.py
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+import numpy as np
+from rasters import Raster
+from rasters import Point
+
+# reading URI: netcdf:"/Users/halverso/data/GEOS5FP/2021.05.29/GEOS.fp.asm.tavg3_2d_aer_Nx.20210529_1930.V01.nc4":TOTEXTTAU nodata: nan geometry: POINT (-110.0522 31.7438) resampling: nearest
+URI = 'netcdf:"/Users/halverso/data/GEOS5FP/2021.05.29/GEOS.fp.asm.tavg3_2d_aer_Nx.20210529_1930.V01.nc4":TOTEXTTAU'
+nodata = np.nan
+geometry = Point(-110.0522, 31.7438)
+resampling = 'nearest'
+raster = Raster.open(URI, nodata=nodata, geometry=geometry, resampling=resampling)
+print(raster)
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 9695368..3fdee58 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
 
 [project]
 name = "rasters"
-version = "1.13.1"
+version = "1.13.2"
 description = "raster processing toolkit"
 readme = "README.md"
 authors = [
diff --git a/rasters/CRS.py b/rasters/CRS.py
index ed286c9..96b88c5 100644
--- a/rasters/CRS.py
+++ b/rasters/CRS.py
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@ def __init__(self, projparams: Any = None, **kwargs) -> None:
             projparams (Any): Projection parameters used to initialize the CRS object.
             **kwargs: Additional keyword arguments passed to the pyproj.CRS constructor.
         """
+        # Handle None, empty string, or other invalid projparams by defaulting to WGS84
+        if projparams is None or projparams == '' or (isinstance(projparams, str) and projparams.strip() == ''):
+            projparams = "EPSG:4326"
+            
         super(CRS, self).__init__(projparams=projparams, **kwargs)
         self._proj4_string = None  # Cache for proj4 string