diff --git a/src/soca/Fields/soca_fields_metadata_mod.F90 b/src/soca/Fields/soca_fields_metadata_mod.F90
index c6dc793e9..eb67f3347 100644
--- a/src/soca/Fields/soca_fields_metadata_mod.F90
+++ b/src/soca/Fields/soca_fields_metadata_mod.F90
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ module soca_fields_metadata_mod
 
 use fckit_configuration_module, only: fckit_configuration, fckit_yamlconfiguration
 use fckit_pathname_module, only : fckit_pathname
+use kinds, only: kind_real
 
 implicit none
 private
@@ -24,10 +25,11 @@ module soca_fields_metadata_mod
   character(len=:),  allocatable :: levels   !< "1", or "full_ocn"
   character(len=:),  allocatable :: getval_name !< variable name used by UFO
   character(len=:),  allocatable :: getval_name_surface  ! name used by UFO for the surface (if this is a 3D field)
-  character(len=:),  allocatable :: io_file  !< the restart file domain (ocn, sfc, ice)
+  character(len=:),  allocatable :: io_file  !< the restart file domain (ocn, sfc, ice). Or if "CONSTANT" use the value in "constant_value"
   character(len=:),  allocatable :: io_name  !< the name use in the restart IO
   character(len=:),  allocatable :: property  !< physical property of the field, "none" or "positive_definite"
   logical                        :: vert_interp   !< true if the field can be vertically interpolated
+  real(kind=kind_real)           :: constant_value !< An optional value to use globally for the field
 end type
 
 
@@ -73,6 +75,7 @@ subroutine soca_fields_metadata_create(self, filename)
 
   integer :: i, j
   logical :: bool
+  real(kind=kind_real) :: r
   character(len=:), allocatable :: str
 
   ! parse all the metadata from a yaml configuration file
@@ -116,6 +119,16 @@ subroutine soca_fields_metadata_create(self, filename)
     end if
     self%metadata(i)%vert_interp = bool
 
+    if(conf_list(i)%get("constant value", r)) then
+      if (.not. self%metadata(i)%io_file == "") then
+        str=repeat(" ", 1024)
+        write(str, *) "error in field metadata file for '", self%metadata(i)%name, &
+          "' :  'io file' cannot be set if 'constant value' is given"
+        call abor1_ftn(str)
+      end if
+      self%metadata(i)%constant_value = r
+      self%metadata(i)%io_file = "CONSTANT"
+    end if
   end do
 
   ! check for duplicates
diff --git a/src/soca/Fields/soca_fields_mod.F90 b/src/soca/Fields/soca_fields_mod.F90
index 49218cbbf..56eb72a58 100644
--- a/src/soca/Fields/soca_fields_mod.F90
+++ b/src/soca/Fields/soca_fields_mod.F90
@@ -906,7 +906,11 @@ subroutine soca_fields_read(self, f_conf, vdate)
 
     ! built-in variables
     do i=1,size(self%fields)
-      if(self%fields(i)%metadata%io_name /= "") then
+      
+      if(self%fields(i)%metadata%io_file == "CONSTANT") then
+        self%fields(i)%val(:,:,:) = self%fields(i)%metadata%constant_value
+
+      else if(self%fields(i)%metadata%io_file /= "") then
         ! which file are we reading from?
         select case(self%fields(i)%metadata%io_file)
         case ('ocn')
diff --git a/test/Data/fields_metadata.yml b/test/Data/fields_metadata.yml
index e2807aeab..0d3e2f593 100644
--- a/test/Data/fields_metadata.yml
+++ b/test/Data/fields_metadata.yml
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
 # getval_name_surface:  GetValues variable name for 2D surface of a 3D field (Default: <unused>)
 # io_file:              The restart file domain "ocn", "sfc", or "ice" (Default: <unused>)
 # io_name:              The variable name used in the restart IO (Default: <unused>)
+# constant value:       Used for "dummy" fields. Sets the entire field to the given constant globally
+#                       This parameter cannot be used with io_file/io_name
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
@@ -165,3 +167,7 @@
 
 - name: sea_water_depth
   levels: full_ocn
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+- name: dummy_atm1
+  constant value: 5.0
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/testinput/hofx_3d.yml b/test/testinput/hofx_3d.yml
index 03b8690c0..c6e38edd5 100644
--- a/test/testinput/hofx_3d.yml
+++ b/test/testinput/hofx_3d.yml
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ state:
     ocn_filename: MOM.res.nc
     ice_filename: cice.res.nc
     sfc_filename: sfc.res.nc
-    state variables: [cicen, hicen, hsnon, socn, tocn, ssh, hocn, uocn, vocn, sw, lhf, shf, lw, us, chl]
+    state variables: [cicen, hicen, hsnon, socn, tocn, ssh, hocn, uocn, vocn, sw, lhf, shf, lw, us, chl, dummy_atm1]
 
 window begin: 2018-04-14T00:00:00Z
 window length: P2D
diff --git a/test/testref/hofx_3d.test b/test/testref/hofx_3d.test
index 46f405069..e5e27a561 100644
--- a/test/testref/hofx_3d.test
+++ b/test/testref/hofx_3d.test
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ State:
      lw   min=0.0000000000000000   max=88.0360870361328125   mean=31.3955290035652546
      us   min=0.0043958698226386   max=0.0196578730801191   mean=0.0086443089692577
     chl   min=0.0000100000000000   max=4.6719899196170607   mean=0.1184829680403295
+dummy_atm1   min=5.0000000000000000   max=5.0000000000000000   mean=5.0000000000000000
 H(x): 
 CoolSkin nobs= 200 Min=-4.1785594844341176, Max=25.2197343303870412, RMS=20.1355481819576383