diff --git a/artifacts/artifact_funcs.jl b/artifacts/artifact_funcs.jl
index 93eac7cf82..2ad520781a 100644
--- a/artifacts/artifact_funcs.jl
+++ b/artifacts/artifact_funcs.jl
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import ArtifactWrappers as AW
+#using NCDatasets
 
 function sst_dataset_path()
     sst_dataset = AW.ArtifactWrapper(
@@ -59,3 +60,20 @@ function pr_obs_data_path()
     )
     return AW.get_data_folder(pr_obs_data)
 end
+
+"""
+    artifact_data(datapath_full, name; datapath_trunc, date0, time_start, time_end, comms_ctx)
+
+Truncates given data set, and constructs a new dataset containing only the dates that are used in the simulation
+"""
+function artifact_data(datapath_full, name)
+    datafile_truncated = joinpath(datapath_full, string(name, ".nc"))
+    return datafile_truncated
+end
+
+function artifact_data(datapath_full, name, datapath_trunc, date0, time_start, time_end, comms_ctx)
+    datafile = joinpath(datapath_full, string(name, ".nc"))
+    datafile_truncated =
+        Regridder.truncate_dataset(datafile, name, datapath_trunc, date0, time_start, time_end, comms_ctx)
+    return datafile_truncated
+end
diff --git a/experiments/AMIP/coupler_driver.jl b/experiments/AMIP/coupler_driver.jl
index 806eb62be5..89878c1084 100644
--- a/experiments/AMIP/coupler_driver.jl
+++ b/experiments/AMIP/coupler_driver.jl
@@ -177,10 +177,10 @@ original sources.
 =#
 
 include(joinpath(pkgdir(ClimaCoupler), "artifacts", "artifact_funcs.jl"))
-sst_data = joinpath(sst_dataset_path(), "sst.nc")
-sic_data = joinpath(sic_dataset_path(), "sic.nc")
-co2_data = joinpath(co2_dataset_path(), "mauna_loa_co2.nc")
-land_mask_data = joinpath(mask_dataset_path(), "seamask.nc")
+sst_data = artifact_data(sst_dataset_path(), "sst", REGRID_DIR, date0, t_start, t_end, comms_ctx)
+sic_data = artifact_data(sic_dataset_path(), "sic", REGRID_DIR, date0, t_start, t_end, comms_ctx)
+co2_data = artifact_data(co2_dataset_path(), "mauna_loa_co2", REGRID_DIR, date0, t_start, t_end, comms_ctx)
+land_mask_data = artifact_data(mask_dataset_path(), "seamask")
 
 #=
 ## Component Model Initialization
diff --git a/src/Regridder.jl b/src/Regridder.jl
index 4f715b049d..ada39da579 100644
--- a/src/Regridder.jl
+++ b/src/Regridder.jl
@@ -633,5 +633,74 @@ function cgll2latlonz(field; DIR = "cgll2latlonz_dir", nlat = 360, nlon = 720, c
     return new_data, coords
 end
 
+"""
+    truncate_dataset(date0, timeStart, timeEnd, datafile, datapath, name)
+
+Truncates given data set, and constructs a new dataset containing only the dates that are used in the simulation
+"""
+function truncate_dataset(
+    datafile,
+    name,
+    datapath_trunc,
+    date0,
+    time_start,
+    time_end,
+    comms_ctx::ClimaComms.AbstractCommsContext,
+)
+    date_start = date0 + Dates.Second(time_start)
+    date_end = date0 + Dates.Second(time_start + time_end)
+
+    file_name = replace(string(name, "_truncated_data_", string(date_start), string(date_end), ".nc"), r":" => "")
+    datafile_truncated = joinpath(datapath_trunc, file_name)
+
+    if ClimaComms.iamroot(comms_ctx)
+        ds = NCDataset(datafile, "r")
+        dates = ds["time"][:]
+
+        # if the simulation start date is before our first date in the dataset
+        # leave the beginning of the truncated dataset to be first date available
+        if date_start < dates[1]
+            start_id = 1
+            # if the simulation start date is after the last date in the dataset
+            # start the truncated dataset at its last possible date
+        elseif date_start > last(dates)
+            start_id = length(dates)
+            # if the simulation start date falls within the range of the dataset
+            # find the closest date to the start date and truncate there 
+        else
+            (~, start_id) = findmin(x -> abs(x - date_start), dates)
+            # if the closest date is after the start date, add one more date before 
+            if dates[start_id] > date_start
+                start_id = start_id - 1
+            end
+        end
+
+        # if the simulation end date is before our first date in the dataset
+        # truncate the end of the dataset to be the first date
+        if date_end < dates[1]
+            end_id = 1
+            # if the simulation end date is after the last date in the dataset
+            # leave the end of the dataset as is 
+        elseif date_end > last(dates)
+            end_id = length(dates)
+            # if the simulation end date falls within the range of the dataset
+            # find the closest date to the end date and truncate there 
+        else
+            (~, end_id) = findmin(x -> abs(x - date_end), dates)
+            # if the closest date is before the end date, add one more date after
+            if dates[end_id] < date_end
+                end_id = end_id + 1
+            end
+        end
+
+        ds_truncated = NCDataset(datafile_truncated, "c")
+        ds_truncated = write(ds_truncated, view(ds, time = start_id:end_id))
+
+        close(ds)
+        close(ds_truncated)
+
+        return datafile_truncated
+    end
+end
 
 end # Module
diff --git a/test/regridder_tests.jl b/test/regridder_tests.jl
index b553fda251..8184e3ff4d 100644
--- a/test/regridder_tests.jl
+++ b/test/regridder_tests.jl
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
     Unit tests for ClimaCoupler Regridder module
 =#
 
+using ClimaCoupler
 using ClimaCore: Geometry, Meshes, Domains, Topologies, Spaces, Fields, InputOutput
 using ClimaComms
 using Test
@@ -314,3 +315,67 @@ for FT in (Float32, Float64)
         end
     end
 end
+# test dataset truncation 
+@testset "test dataset truncation" begin
+    # Get the original dataset set up 
+    include(joinpath(pkgdir(ClimaCoupler), "artifacts", "artifact_funcs.jl"))
+    sst_data_all = joinpath(sst_dataset_path(), "sst.nc")
+    ds = NCDataset(sst_data_all, "r")
+    dates = ds["time"][:]
+    first_date = dates[1]
+    last_date = last(dates)
+
+    # set up comms_ctx 
+    device = ClimaComms.device()
+    comms_ctx = ClimaComms.context(device)
+    ClimaComms.init(comms_ctx)
+
+    # make path for truncated datasets 
+    COUPLER_OUTPUT_DIR = joinpath("experiments", "AMIP", "output", "tests")
+    mkpath(COUPLER_OUTPUT_DIR)
+
+    REGRID_DIR = joinpath(COUPLER_OUTPUT_DIR, "regrid_tmp", "")
+    mkpath(REGRID_DIR)
+
+    # values for the truncations 
+    time_start = 0.0
+    time_end = 1.728e6
+    # tests five cases: 
+    # 1. both start and end are earlier than in datafile 
+    # 2. start is early, end is within datafine 
+    # 3. both start and end within datafile 
+    # 4. start is in datafile end is not 
+    # 5. both start and end are later than in datafile
+    date0test = ["18690101", "18700101", "19790228", "20220301", "20230101"]
+    for date in date0test
+        date0 = DateTime(date, dateformat"yyyymmdd")
+        sst_data = Regridder.truncate_dataset(sst_data_all, "test", REGRID_DIR, date0, time_start, time_end, comms_ctx)
+        ds_truncated = NCDataset(sst_data, "r")
+        new_dates = ds_truncated["time"][:]
+
+        date_start = date0 + Dates.Second(time_start)
+        date_end = date0 + Dates.Second(time_start + time_end)
+
+        if date_start < first_date
+            @test new_dates[1] == first_date
+        elseif date_start > last_date
+            @test new_dates[1] == last_date
+        else
+            @test new_dates[1] <= date_start
+            @test new_dates[2] >= date_start
+        end
+
+        if date_end < first_date
+            @test last(new_dates) == first_date
+        elseif date_end > last_date
+            @test last(new_dates) == last_date
+        else
+            @test last(new_dates) >= date_end
+            @test new_dates[length(new_dates) - 1] <= date_end
+        end
+
+        close(ds_truncated)
+    end
+
+    close(ds)
+end