diff --git a/parm/jcb-gdas b/parm/jcb-gdas
index 272d6d73c..2b46aa19b 160000
--- a/parm/jcb-gdas
+++ b/parm/jcb-gdas
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 272d6d73c0ceea5332fee005f59b3270527d10c7
+Subproject commit 2b46aa19b22df22f33ef0be5030fb719a8fa6298
diff --git a/parm/soca/berror/soca_parameters_diffusion_hz.yaml.j2 b/parm/soca/berror/soca_parameters_diffusion_hz.yaml.j2
index bc3f12b93..7d3a78cfb 100644
--- a/parm/soca/berror/soca_parameters_diffusion_hz.yaml.j2
+++ b/parm/soca/berror/soca_parameters_diffusion_hz.yaml.j2
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ background:
   ocn_filename: MOM.res.nc
   ice_filename: cice.res.nc
   date: '{{ MARINE_WINDOW_END  | to_isotime }}'
-  state variables: [cicen, hicen, hsnon, socn, tocn, uocn, vocn, ssh]
+  state variables: [ssh]
 
 background error:
   covariance model: SABER
@@ -21,17 +21,17 @@ background error:
         iterations: 10000
 
       groups:
-      - name: ocean
-        horizontal:
-          from file:
-            filename: ocn.cor_rh.incr.0001-01-01T00:00:00Z.nc
-            variable name: ave_ssh
+      - horizontal:
+          model file:
+            date: '{{ MARINE_WINDOW_END  | to_isotime }}'
+            basename: ./
+            ocn_filename: ocn.cor_rh.incr.0001-01-01T00:00:00Z.nc
+          model variable: ssh
         write:
-          filename: ./staticb/hz_ocean.nc
+          filepath: ./staticb/hz_ocean
 
-      - name: ice
-        horizontal:
+      - horizontal:
           as gaussian: true
           fixed value: 50000.0
         write:
-          filename: ./staticb/hz_ice.nc
+          filepath: ./staticb/hz_ice
diff --git a/parm/soca/berror/soca_parameters_diffusion_vt.yaml.j2 b/parm/soca/berror/soca_parameters_diffusion_vt.yaml.j2
index 9101d6416..76ab67e94 100644
--- a/parm/soca/berror/soca_parameters_diffusion_vt.yaml.j2
+++ b/parm/soca/berror/soca_parameters_diffusion_vt.yaml.j2
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ background:
   ocn_filename: MOM.res.nc
   ice_filename: cice.res.nc
   date: '{{ MARINE_WINDOW_MIDDLE | to_isotime }}'
-  state variables: [cicen, hicen, hsnon, socn, tocn, uocn, vocn, ssh]
+  state variables: [tocn]
 
 background error:
   covariance model: SABER
@@ -22,11 +22,12 @@ background error:
         iterations: 1000       #< in the real world you'll want to use 1e4 or so
 
       groups:
-      - name: vt_ocean
-        vertical:
+      - vertical:
           as gaussian: true
-          from file:
-            filename: vt_scales.nc
-            variable name: vt
+          model file:
+            date: '{{ MARINE_WINDOW_MIDDLE | to_isotime }}'
+            basename: ./
+            ocn_filename: vt_scales.nc
+          model variable: tocn
         write:
-          filename: ./staticb/vt_ocean.nc
+          filepath: ./staticb/vt_ocean
diff --git a/parm/soca/berror/soca_static_bmat.yaml b/parm/soca/berror/soca_static_bmat.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 7778345fb..000000000
--- a/parm/soca/berror/soca_static_bmat.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,42 +0,0 @@
-covariance model: SABER
-saber central block:
-  saber block name: diffusion
-  active variables: [tocn, socn, ssh, cicen]
-  geometry:
-    mom6_input_nml: mom_input.nml
-    fields metadata: ./fields_metadata.yaml
-  group mapping:
-  - name: ocean
-    variables:
-    - tocn
-    - socn
-    - ssh
-  - name: ice
-    variables:
-    - cicen
-  read:
-    groups:
-    - name: ocean
-      horizontal:
-        filename: hz_ocean.nc
-      vertical:
-        filename: vt_ocean.nc
-    - name: ice
-      horizontal:
-        filename: hz_ice.nc
-
-saber outer blocks:
-- saber block name: StdDev
-  read:
-    model file:
-      date: '{{ATM_WINDOW_MIDDLE}}'
-      basename: ./
-      ocn_filename: 'ocean.bkgerr_stddev.nc'
-      ice_filename: 'ice.bkgerr_stddev.nc'
-      read_from_file: 3
-
-linear variable change:
-  input variables: [cicen, hicen, hsnon, socn, tocn, uocn, vocn, ssh]
-  output variables: [cicen, hicen, hsnon, socn, tocn, uocn, vocn, ssh]
-  linear variable changes:
-  - linear variable change name: BalanceSOCA
diff --git a/parm/soca/berror/soca_vtscales.yaml.j2 b/parm/soca/berror/soca_vtscales.yaml.j2
index d5662a4e5..8f68b1517 100644
--- a/parm/soca/berror/soca_vtscales.yaml.j2
+++ b/parm/soca/berror/soca_vtscales.yaml.j2
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ gridspec_filename: soca_gridspec.nc
 restart_filename: ./INPUT/MOM.res.nc
 mld_filename: './staticb/ocn.bkgerr_stddev.incr.{{ MARINE_WINDOW_END | to_isotime }}.nc'
 output_filename: ./vt_scales.nc
-output_variable_vt: vt
-output_variable_hz: hz
+output_variable_vt: Temp
+output_variable_hz: ave_ssh
 
 VT_MIN: 5
 VT_MAX: 15
diff --git a/parm/soca/marine-jcb-base.yaml b/parm/soca/marine-jcb-base.yaml
index 959d36220..cb5230f1c 100644
--- a/parm/soca/marine-jcb-base.yaml
+++ b/parm/soca/marine-jcb-base.yaml
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ marine_window_middle: '{{MARINE_WINDOW_MIDDLE}}'
 
 # Geometry
 marine_soca_files_path: .
+marine_vt_levels: '{{MOM6_LEVS}}'
 
 # Initial conditions
 marine_background_path: ./INPUT/