diff --git a/src/core_init_atmosphere/Registry.xml b/src/core_init_atmosphere/Registry.xml
index 778b64c058..b107d16953 100644
--- a/src/core_init_atmosphere/Registry.xml
+++ b/src/core_init_atmosphere/Registry.xml
@@ -196,6 +196,11 @@
                      description="The supersampling factor to be used for 30s terrain, MODIS land use, soil category, and MODIS FPAR monthly vegetation fraction (case 7 only)"
                      possible_values="Positive integer values"/>
 
+                <nml_option name="config_noahmp_static" type="logical" default_value="true" in_defaults="false"
+                     units="-"
+                     description="Whether to process, read, and write static fields only required by Noah-MP"
+                     possible_values="true or false"/>
+
                 <nml_option name="config_use_spechumd"          type="logical"       default_value="false"
                      units="-"
                      description="Whether to use specific-humidity as the first-guess moisture variable. If this option is False, relative humidity will be used."
@@ -354,6 +359,7 @@
                 <package name="met_stage_out" description="Active only if meteorological fields are being interpolated"/>
                 <package name="first_guess_field" description="3-d atmospheric or land-surface fields on first-guess levels"/>
                 <package name="mp_thompson_aers_in" description="initialization of GOCART-based Thompson water- and ice-friendly aerosols"/>
+                <package name="noahmp" description="Whether to process, read, and write static fields only required by Noah-MP"/>
         </packages>
 
 
@@ -822,19 +828,24 @@
 
                 <!-- SOIL COMPOSITION fields needed for the NOAH-MP land surface scheme -->
                 <var name="soilcomp" type="real" dimensions="nSoilComps nCells" units="percent"
-                     description="soil composition needed as input in the NOAH-MP land surface model"/>
+                     description="soil composition needed as input in the NOAH-MP land surface model"
+                     packages="noahmp"/>
 
                 <var name="soilcl1" type="real" dimensions="nCells" units="unitless"
-                     description="soil texture class level 1 needed as input for the NOAH-MP land surface model"/>
+                     description="soil texture class level 1 needed as input for the NOAH-MP land surface model"
+                     packages="noahmp"/>
 
                 <var name="soilcl2" type="real" dimensions="nCells" units="unitless"
-                     description="soil texture class level 2 needed as input for the NOAH-MP land surface model"/>
+                     description="soil texture class level 2 needed as input for the NOAH-MP land surface model"
+                     packages="noahmp"/>
 
                 <var name="soilcl3" type="real" dimensions="nCells" units="unitless"
-                     description="soil texture class level 3 needed as input for the NOAH-MP land surface model"/>
+                     description="soil texture class level 3 needed as input for the NOAH-MP land surface model"
+                     packages="noahmp"/>
 
                 <var name="soilcl4" type="real" dimensions="nCells" units="unitless"
-                     description="soil texture class level 4 needed as input for the NOAH-MP land surface model"/>
+                     description="soil texture class level 4 needed as input for the NOAH-MP land surface model"
+                     packages="noahmp"/>
 
                 <!-- GWDO fields -->
                 <var name="var2d" type="real" dimensions="nCells" units="m"
diff --git a/src/core_init_atmosphere/mpas_init_atm_core_interface.F b/src/core_init_atmosphere/mpas_init_atm_core_interface.F
index 6229e50fdc..e4f4b8294c 100644
--- a/src/core_init_atmosphere/mpas_init_atm_core_interface.F
+++ b/src/core_init_atmosphere/mpas_init_atm_core_interface.F
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ function init_atm_setup_packages(configs, streamInfo, packages, iocontext) resul
       logical, pointer :: first_guess_field
       logical, pointer :: mp_thompson_aers_in
       integer, pointer :: config_init_case
+      logical, pointer :: noahmp, config_noahmp_static
 
 
       ierr = 0
@@ -273,6 +274,32 @@ function init_atm_setup_packages(configs, streamInfo, packages, iocontext) resul
          first_guess_field = .true.
       end if
 
+      !
+      ! Noah-MP
+      !
+      nullify(config_noahmp_static)
+      call mpas_pool_get_config(configs, 'config_noahmp_static', config_noahmp_static)
+
+      nullify(noahmp)
+      call mpas_pool_get_package(packages, 'noahmpActive', noahmp)
+
+      if (associated(config_noahmp_static) .and. associated(noahmp)) then
+         noahmp = config_noahmp_static
+      else
+         call mpas_log_write('********************************************************************************', &
+                             messageType=MPAS_LOG_ERR)
+         call mpas_log_write('* Error while setting up packages for init_atmosphere core:',                      &
+                             messageType=MPAS_LOG_ERR)
+         call mpas_log_write('*    Either the ''noahmp'' package or the ''config_noahmp_static'' namelist',      &
+                             messageType=MPAS_LOG_ERR)
+         call mpas_log_write('*    option is not defined.', &
+                             messageType=MPAS_LOG_ERR)
+         call mpas_log_write('********************************************************************************', &
+                             messageType=MPAS_LOG_ERR)
+         ierr = 1
+         return
+      end if
+
    end function init_atm_setup_packages
 
 
diff --git a/src/core_init_atmosphere/mpas_init_atm_static.F b/src/core_init_atmosphere/mpas_init_atm_static.F
index 09fe4c57a1..b9d289d8b6 100644
--- a/src/core_init_atmosphere/mpas_init_atm_static.F
+++ b/src/core_init_atmosphere/mpas_init_atm_static.F
@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@ subroutine init_atm_static(mesh, dims, configs)
  character(len=StrKIND), pointer :: config_vegfrac_data
  character(len=StrKIND), pointer :: config_albedo_data
  character(len=StrKIND), pointer :: config_maxsnowalbedo_data
+ logical, pointer :: config_noahmp_static
  character(len=StrKIND+1) :: geog_data_path      ! same as config_geog_data_path, but guaranteed to have a trailing slash
  character(len=StrKIND+1) :: geog_sub_path       ! subdirectory names in config_geog_data_path, with trailing slash
 
@@ -219,6 +220,7 @@ subroutine init_atm_static(mesh, dims, configs)
  call mpas_pool_get_config(configs, 'config_maxsnowalbedo_data', config_maxsnowalbedo_data)
  call mpas_pool_get_config(configs, 'config_supersample_factor', supersample_fac)
  call mpas_pool_get_config(configs, 'config_30s_supersample_factor', supersample_fac_30s)
+ call mpas_pool_get_config(configs, 'config_noahmp_static', config_noahmp_static)
 
  write(geog_data_path, '(a)') config_geog_data_path
  i = len_trim(geog_data_path)
@@ -1171,55 +1173,59 @@ subroutine init_atm_static(mesh, dims, configs)
 
  call mpas_log_write('--- end interpolate ALBEDO12M')
 
-!
-! Interpolate SOILCOMP
-!
- geog_sub_path = 'soilgrids/soilcomp/'
- call mpas_log_write('--- start interpolate SOILCOMP')
- call interp_soilcomp(mesh, tree, trim(geog_data_path)//trim(geog_sub_path), &
-                     supersample_fac=supersample_fac_30s)
- call mpas_log_write('--- end interpolate SOILCOMP')
+ if (config_noahmp_static) then
 
-!
-! Interpolate SOILCL1
-!
- geog_sub_path = 'soilgrids/texture_layer1/'
+    !
+    ! Interpolate SOILCOMP
+    !
+    geog_sub_path = 'soilgrids/soilcomp/'
 
- call mpas_log_write('--- start interpolate SOILCL1')
- call interp_soil_texture('soilcl1', mesh, tree, trim(geog_data_path)//trim(geog_sub_path), &
-                          supersample_fac=supersample_fac_30s)
- call mpas_log_write('--- end interpolate SOILCL1')
+    call mpas_log_write('--- start interpolate SOILCOMP')
+    call interp_soilcomp(mesh, tree, trim(geog_data_path)//trim(geog_sub_path), &
+                         supersample_fac=supersample_fac_30s)
+    call mpas_log_write('--- end interpolate SOILCOMP')
 
-!
-! Interpolate SOILCL2
-!
- geog_sub_path = 'soilgrids/texture_layer2/'
+    !
+    ! Interpolate SOILCL1
+    !
+    geog_sub_path = 'soilgrids/texture_layer1/'
 
- call mpas_log_write('--- start interpolate SOILCL2')
- call interp_soil_texture('soilcl2', mesh, tree, trim(geog_data_path)//trim(geog_sub_path), &
-                          supersample_fac=supersample_fac_30s)
- call mpas_log_write('--- end interpolate SOILCL2')
+    call mpas_log_write('--- start interpolate SOILCL1')
+    call interp_soil_texture('soilcl1', mesh, tree, trim(geog_data_path)//trim(geog_sub_path), &
+                             supersample_fac=supersample_fac_30s)
+    call mpas_log_write('--- end interpolate SOILCL1')
 
-!
-! Interpolate SOILCL3
-!
- geog_sub_path = 'soilgrids/texture_layer3/'
+    !
+    ! Interpolate SOILCL2
+    !
+    geog_sub_path = 'soilgrids/texture_layer2/'
 
- call mpas_log_write('--- start interpolate SOILCL3')
- call interp_soil_texture('soilcl3', mesh, tree, trim(geog_data_path)//trim(geog_sub_path), &
-                          supersample_fac=supersample_fac_30s)
- call mpas_log_write('--- end interpolate SOILCL3')
+    call mpas_log_write('--- start interpolate SOILCL2')
+    call interp_soil_texture('soilcl2', mesh, tree, trim(geog_data_path)//trim(geog_sub_path), &
+                             supersample_fac=supersample_fac_30s)
+    call mpas_log_write('--- end interpolate SOILCL2')
 
-!
-! Interpolate SOILCL4
-!
- geog_sub_path = 'soilgrids/texture_layer4/'
+    !
+    ! Interpolate SOILCL3
+    !
+    geog_sub_path = 'soilgrids/texture_layer3/'
+
+    call mpas_log_write('--- start interpolate SOILCL3')
+    call interp_soil_texture('soilcl3', mesh, tree, trim(geog_data_path)//trim(geog_sub_path), &
+                             supersample_fac=supersample_fac_30s)
+    call mpas_log_write('--- end interpolate SOILCL3')
+
+    !
+    ! Interpolate SOILCL4
+    !
+    geog_sub_path = 'soilgrids/texture_layer4/'
 
- call mpas_log_write('--- start interpolate SOILCL4')
- call interp_soil_texture('soilcl4', mesh, tree, trim(geog_data_path)//trim(geog_sub_path), &
-                          supersample_fac=supersample_fac_30s)
- call mpas_log_write('--- end interpolate SOILCL4')
+    call mpas_log_write('--- start interpolate SOILCL4')
+    call interp_soil_texture('soilcl4', mesh, tree, trim(geog_data_path)//trim(geog_sub_path), &
+                             supersample_fac=supersample_fac_30s)
+    call mpas_log_write('--- end interpolate SOILCL4')
 
+ end if
 
 !
 ! Deallocate and free the KD Tree