diff --git a/cfgs/SHARED/field_def_nemo-ice.xml b/cfgs/SHARED/field_def_nemo-ice.xml
index 6f444b4563f398c3b44021512551548252a10bf7..7625935ee388c71b5b9e4e010428c060bf2ef0a6 100644
--- a/cfgs/SHARED/field_def_nemo-ice.xml
+++ b/cfgs/SHARED/field_def_nemo-ice.xml
@@ -188,15 +188,6 @@
       <field id="icedrift_salt" long_name="Ice salt drift (conservation check)"   unit="kg/m2/s" />
       <field id="icedrift_heat" long_name="Ice heat drift (conservation check)"   unit="W/m2"    />
 
-      <!-- sbcssm variables -->
-      <field id="sst_m"    unit="degC" />
-      <field id="sss_m"    unit="psu"  />
-      <field id="ssu_m"    unit="m/s"  />
-      <field id="ssv_m"    unit="m/s"  />
-      <field id="ssh_m"    unit="m"    />
-      <field id="e3t_m"    unit="m"    />
-      <field id="frq_m"    unit="-"    />
-
       <!-- rheology convergence tests -->
       <field id="uice_cvg"   long_name="sea ice velocity convergence"      standard_name="sea_ice_velocity_convergence"      unit="m/s" />