text: """Splits the time dimension into an reftime and a leadtime 
  so that multiple files can be concatenated more easily"""
  import sys
  from netCDF4 import Dataset, num2date, date2num
  
  for f in sys.argv[1:]:
      dataset = Dataset(f, 'a')
  
      # rename record dimension to reftime
      dataset.renameDimension('record', 'reftime')
      
      # rename time dimension to leadtime
      dataset.renameDimension('time', 'leadtime')    
      
      dataset.renameVariable('time', 'leadtime')
      time = dataset.variables['leadtime']
  
      reftime = dataset.createVariable('reftime', 'f8', ('reftime',))
      reftime.units = time.units
      reftime.calendar = time.calendar
      reftime[0] = time[0]
      reftime.standard_name = "forecast_reference_time"
      reftime.long_name = "Time of model initialization" 
  
      
      dt = num2date(time[:], units=time.units, calendar=time.calendar)
      lt = date2num(dt, units="hours since %s" % dt[0], calendar=time.calendar)
  
      # use the existing time variable to hold lead time information
      
      time.units = "hours"
      time.standard_name = "forecast_period"
      time.long_name = "hours since forecast_reference_time"
      time[:] = lt
      del(time.calendar)
      
      dataset.renameVariable('location', 'old_location')
      dataset.renameVariable('lat', 'old_lat')
      dataset.renameVariable('lon', 'old_lon')
      dataset.renameVariable('height', 'old_height')
          
      loc = dataset.createVariable('location', 'S1', ('location','loc_str_length'))
      lat = dataset.createVariable('lat', 'f8', ('location',))
      lon = dataset.createVariable('lon', 'f8', ('location',))
      hgt = dataset.createVariable('height','i4',('height',))
      
      loc[:] = dataset.variables['old_location'][0]
      lat[:] = dataset.variables['old_lat'][0]
      lon[:] = dataset.variables['old_lon'][0]
      hgt[:] = dataset.variables['old_height'][0]
      
      
      dataset.close()
  
  
  
  