diff --git a/lib/parms/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/parms/CMakeLists.txt
index 0fedf9d16..7f85d5eef 100644
--- a/lib/parms/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/parms/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@ project(parms C)
 set(src_home ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}) # path to src directory starting from the dir containing our CMakeLists.txt
 file(GLOB all_sources ${src_home}/src/*.c ${src_home}/src/DDPQ/*.c)
 
-include("${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/../../cmake/FindBLAS.cmake")
+find_package(BLAS) # standard way to find blas
+if( NOT BLAS_FOUND) # try older way to find blas
+   include("${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/../../cmake/FindBLAS.cmake")
+endif()
 
 # create our library (set its name to name of this project)
 if(${BUILD_FESOM_AS_LIBRARY})
@@ -16,11 +19,13 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 if(${BLAS_FOUND})
-target_compile_definitions(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE PARMS USE_MPI REAL=double DBL FORTRAN_UNDERSCORE VOID_POINTER_SIZE_8 HAS_BLAS)
-target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} INTERFACE ${BLAS_C_LIBRARIES} $ENV{UBUNTU_BLAS_LIBRARY})
+  message("BLAS FOUND ---------------------------")
+  target_compile_definitions(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE PARMS USE_MPI REAL=double DBL FORTRAN_UNDERSCORE VOID_POINTER_SIZE_8 HAS_BLAS)
+  target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} INTERFACE ${BLAS_C_LIBRARIES} $ENV{UBUNTU_BLAS_LIBRARY})
 else()
-target_compile_definitions(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE PARMS USE_MPI REAL=double DBL FORTRAN_UNDERSCORE VOID_POINTER_SIZE_8)
-target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} INTERFACE $ENV{UBUNTU_BLAS_LIBRARY})
+  message("BLAS NOT FOUND ***********************")
+  target_compile_definitions(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE PARMS USE_MPI REAL=double DBL FORTRAN_UNDERSCORE VOID_POINTER_SIZE_8)
+  target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} INTERFACE $ENV{UBUNTU_BLAS_LIBRARY})
 endif()
 
 target_include_directories(${PROJECT_NAME}
@@ -28,7 +33,8 @@ target_include_directories(${PROJECT_NAME}
 	INTERFACE ${src_home}/src/../include
 )
 if(${CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID} STREQUAL "Intel")
-	target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE -no-prec-div -no-prec-sqrt -fast-transcendentals -fp-model precise)
+   target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE -no-prec-div -no-prec-sqrt -fast-transcendentals -fp-model precise)
+   
    if(${FESOM_PLATFORM_STRATEGY} STREQUAL  levante.dkrz.de )
       target_compile_options(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE -march=core-avx2 -mtune=core-avx2)
    endif()