diff --git a/model/aero/aero_background.yaml.j2 b/model/aero/aero_background.yaml.j2
index 8d9c9e8b..012c50db 100644
--- a/model/aero/aero_background.yaml.j2
+++ b/model/aero/aero_background.yaml.j2
@@ -4,8 +4,7 @@ datetime: '{{ aero_background_time_iso }}'
 filename is datetime templated: true
 filename_core: '%yyyy%mm%dd.%hh%MM%ss.fv_core.res.nc'
 filename_trcr: '%yyyy%mm%dd.%hh%MM%ss.fv_tracer.res.nc'
-filename_sfcd: '%yyyy%mm%dd.%hh%MM%ss.sfc_data.nc'
 filename_cplr: '%yyyy%mm%dd.%hh%MM%ss.coupler.res'
 state variables: [t,delp,sphum,so4,bc1,bc2,oc1,oc2,
                     dust1,dust2,dust3,dust4,dust5,
-                    seas1,seas2,seas3,seas4,slmsk,sheleg]
+                    seas1,seas2,seas3,seas4]
diff --git a/observations/aero/viirs_n20_aod.yaml.j2 b/observations/aero/viirs_n20_aod.yaml.j2
index 26e34f64..5ef6aca3 100644
--- a/observations/aero/viirs_n20_aod.yaml.j2
+++ b/observations/aero/viirs_n20_aod.yaml.j2
@@ -35,24 +35,6 @@
 
   # Observation Bias Correction (VarBC)
   # -----------------------------------
-  obs bias:
-    input file: "{{aero_obsbiasin_path}}/{{aero_obsbiasin_prefix}}{{observation_from_jcb}}{{aero_obsbiasin_suffix}}"
-    output file: "{{aero_obsbiasout_path}}/{{aero_obsbiasout_prefix}}{{observation_from_jcb}}{{aero_obsbiasout_suffix}}"
-    variational bc:
-      predictors:
-      - name: constant
-        surface: land sea mask
-    covariance:
-      minimal required obs number: 20
-      variance range: [1.0e-6, 10.0]
-      step size: 1.0e-4
-      largest analysis variance: 10000.0
-      prior:
-        input file: "{{aero_obsbiasin_path}}/{{aero_obsbiascovin_prefix}}{{observation_from_jcb}}{{aero_obsbiascovin_suffix}}"
-        inflation:
-          ratio: 1.1
-          ratio for small dataset: 2.0
-      output file: "{{aero_obsbiasout_path}}/{{aero_obsbiascovout_prefix}}{{observation_from_jcb}}{{aero_obsbiascovout_suffix}}"
 
   # Observation Filters (QC)
   # ------------------------