diff --git a/doc/recipe/preprocessor.rst b/doc/recipe/preprocessor.rst
index a1d603f289..a53d495bd5 100644
--- a/doc/recipe/preprocessor.rst
+++ b/doc/recipe/preprocessor.rst
@@ -2911,53 +2911,56 @@ See also :func:`esmvalcore.preprocessor.distance_metric`.
 .. _Weighted Earth mover's distance: https://pythonot.github.io/
   quickstart.html#computing-wasserstein-distance
 
-
-.. _Memory use:
-
-Information on maximum memory required
-======================================
-In the most general case, we can set upper limits on the maximum memory the
-analysis will require:
+.. _Other:
 
 
-``Ms = (R + N) x F_eff - F_eff`` - when no multi-model analysis is performed;
+Other
+=====
 
-``Mm = (2R + N) x F_eff - 2F_eff`` - when multi-model analysis is performed;
+Miscellaneous functions that do not belong to any of the other categories.
 
-where
+.. _align_metadata:
 
-* ``Ms``: maximum memory for non-multimodel module
-* ``Mm``: maximum memory for multi-model module
-* ``R``: computational efficiency of module; `R` is typically 2-3
-* ``N``: number of datasets
-* ``F_eff``: average size of data per dataset where ``F_eff = e x f x F``
-  where ``e`` is the factor that describes how lazy the data is (``e = 1`` for
-  fully realized data) and ``f`` describes how much the data was shrunk by the
-  immediately previous module, e.g. time extraction, area selection or level
-  extraction; note that for fix_data ``f`` relates only to the time extraction,
-  if data is exact in time (no time selection) ``f = 1`` for fix_data so for
-  cases when we deal with a lot of datasets ``R + N \approx N``, data is fully
-  realized, assuming an average size of 1.5GB for 10 years of `3D` netCDF data,
-  ``N`` datasets will require:
+``align_metadata``
+------------------
 
+This function sets cube metadata to entries from a specific target project.
+This is useful to align variable metadata of different projects prior to
+performing multi-model operations (e.g., :ref:`multi-model statistics`).
+For example, standard names differ for some variables between CMIP5 and CMIP6
+which would prevent the calculation of multi-model statistics between CMIP5 and
+CMIP6 data.
 
-``Ms = 1.5 x (N - 1)`` GB
+The ``align_metadata`` preprocessor supports the following arguments in the
+recipe:
 
-``Mm = 1.5 x (N - 2)`` GB
+* ``target_project`` (:obj:`str`): Project from which target metadata is read.
+* ``target_mip`` (:obj:`str`; optional): MIP table from which target metadata
+  is read.
+  If not given, use the MIP tables of the corresponding variables defined in
+  the recipe.
+* ``target_short_name`` (:obj:`str`; optional): Variable short name from which
+  target metadata is read.
+  If not given, use the short names of the corresponding variables defined in
+  the recipe.
+* ``strict`` (:obj:`str`; optional, default: ``True``): If ``True``, raise an
+  error if desired metadata cannot be read for variable ``target_short_name``
+  of MIP table ``target_mip`` and project ``target_project``.
+  If ``False``, no error is raised.
 
-As a rule of thumb, the maximum required memory at a certain time for
-multi-model analysis could be estimated by multiplying the number of datasets by
-the average file size of all the datasets; this memory intake is high but also
-assumes that all data is fully realized in memory; this aspect will gradually
-change and the amount of realized data will decrease with the increase of
-``dask`` use.
+Example:
 
-.. _Other:
+.. code-block:: yaml
 
-Other
-=====
+    preprocessors:
+      calculate_multi_model_statistics:
+        align_metadata:
+          target_project: CMIP6
+        multi_model_statistics:
+          span: overlap
+          statistics: [mean, median]
 
-Miscellaneous functions that do not belong to any of the other categories.
+See also :func:`esmvalcore.preprocessor.align_metadata`.
 
 .. _cumulative_sum:
 
@@ -3085,3 +3088,44 @@ Example:
           normalization: sum
 
 See also :func:`esmvalcore.preprocessor.histogram`.
+
+
+.. _Memory use:
+
+Information on maximum memory required
+======================================
+In the most general case, we can set upper limits on the maximum memory the
+analysis will require:
+
+
+``Ms = (R + N) x F_eff - F_eff`` - when no multi-model analysis is performed;
+
+``Mm = (2R + N) x F_eff - 2F_eff`` - when multi-model analysis is performed;
+
+where
+
+* ``Ms``: maximum memory for non-multimodel module
+* ``Mm``: maximum memory for multi-model module
+* ``R``: computational efficiency of module; `R` is typically 2-3
+* ``N``: number of datasets
+* ``F_eff``: average size of data per dataset where ``F_eff = e x f x F``
+  where ``e`` is the factor that describes how lazy the data is (``e = 1`` for
+  fully realized data) and ``f`` describes how much the data was shrunk by the
+  immediately previous module, e.g. time extraction, area selection or level
+  extraction; note that for fix_data ``f`` relates only to the time extraction,
+  if data is exact in time (no time selection) ``f = 1`` for fix_data so for
+  cases when we deal with a lot of datasets ``R + N \approx N``, data is fully
+  realized, assuming an average size of 1.5GB for 10 years of `3D` netCDF data,
+  ``N`` datasets will require:
+
+
+``Ms = 1.5 x (N - 1)`` GB
+
+``Mm = 1.5 x (N - 2)`` GB
+
+As a rule of thumb, the maximum required memory at a certain time for
+multi-model analysis could be estimated by multiplying the number of datasets by
+the average file size of all the datasets; this memory intake is high but also
+assumes that all data is fully realized in memory; this aspect will gradually
+change and the amount of realized data will decrease with the increase of
+``dask`` use.
diff --git a/esmvalcore/_recipe/check.py b/esmvalcore/_recipe/check.py
index a33868da74..9447d36c25 100644
--- a/esmvalcore/_recipe/check.py
+++ b/esmvalcore/_recipe/check.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 from esmvalcore.local import _get_start_end_year, _parse_period
 from esmvalcore.preprocessor import TIME_PREPROCESSORS, PreprocessingTask
 from esmvalcore.preprocessor._multimodel import _get_operator_and_kwargs
+from esmvalcore.preprocessor._other import _get_var_info
 from esmvalcore.preprocessor._regrid import (
     HORIZONTAL_SCHEMES_IRREGULAR,
     HORIZONTAL_SCHEMES_REGULAR,
@@ -42,6 +43,31 @@
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
+def align_metadata(step_settings: dict[str, Any]) -> None:
+    """Check settings of preprocessor ``align_metadata``."""
+    project = step_settings.get("target_project")
+    mip = step_settings.get("target_mip")
+    short_name = step_settings.get("target_short_name")
+    strict = step_settings.get("strict", True)
+
+    # Any missing arguments will be reported later
+    if project is None or mip is None or short_name is None:
+        return
+
+    try:
+        _get_var_info(project, mip, short_name)
+    except ValueError as exc:
+        if strict:
+            msg = (
+                f"align_metadata failed: {exc}. Set `strict=False` to ignore "
+                f"this."
+            )
+            raise RecipeError(msg) from exc
+    except KeyError as exc:
+        msg = f"align_metadata failed: {exc}"
+        raise RecipeError(msg) from exc
+
+
 def ncl_version() -> None:
     """Check the NCL version."""
     ncl = which("ncl")
diff --git a/esmvalcore/_recipe/recipe.py b/esmvalcore/_recipe/recipe.py
index c749f4aff1..d8738e0b85 100644
--- a/esmvalcore/_recipe/recipe.py
+++ b/esmvalcore/_recipe/recipe.py
@@ -592,10 +592,28 @@ def update_ancestors(
                 settings[key] = value
 
 
+def _update_align_metadata(
+    settings: PreprocessorSettings,
+    dataset: Dataset,
+) -> None:
+    """Update settings for ``align_metadata``."""
+    if "align_metadata" in settings:
+        settings["align_metadata"].setdefault(
+            "target_mip",
+            dataset.facets["mip"],
+        )
+        settings["align_metadata"].setdefault(
+            "target_short_name",
+            dataset.facets["short_name"],
+        )
+        check.align_metadata(settings["align_metadata"])
+
+
 def _update_extract_shape(
     settings: PreprocessorSettings,
     session: Session,
 ) -> None:
+    """Update settings for ``extract_shape``."""
     if "extract_shape" in settings:
         shapefile = settings["extract_shape"].get("shapefile")
         if shapefile:
@@ -785,6 +803,7 @@ def _update_preproc_functions(
     missing_vars: set[str],
 ) -> None:
     session = dataset.session
+    _update_align_metadata(settings, dataset)
     _update_extract_shape(settings, session)
     _update_weighting_settings(settings, dataset.facets)
     try:
diff --git a/esmvalcore/cmor/table.py b/esmvalcore/cmor/table.py
index f80f339584..58ed7cead4 100644
--- a/esmvalcore/cmor/table.py
+++ b/esmvalcore/cmor/table.py
@@ -53,9 +53,7 @@ def _update_cmor_facets(facets):
             f"Unable to load CMOR table (project) '{project}' for variable "
             f"'{short_name}' with mip '{mip}'"
         )
-        raise RecipeError(
-            msg,
-        )
+        raise RecipeError(msg)
     facets["original_short_name"] = table_entry.short_name
     for key in _CMOR_KEYS:
         if key not in facets:
@@ -115,9 +113,7 @@ def get_var_info(
             f"No CMOR tables available for project '{project}'. The following "
             f"tables are available: {', '.join(CMOR_TABLES)}."
         )
-        raise KeyError(
-            msg,
-        )
+        raise KeyError(msg)
 
     # CORDEX X-hourly tables define the mip as ending in 'h' instead of 'hr'
     if project == "CORDEX" and mip.endswith("hr"):
@@ -444,9 +440,7 @@ def _get_cmor_path(cmor_tables_path):
         if os.path.isdir(cmor_tables_path):
             return cmor_tables_path
         msg = f"CMOR tables not found in {cmor_tables_path}"
-        raise ValueError(
-            msg,
-        )
+        raise ValueError(msg)
 
     def _load_table(self, json_file):
         with open(json_file, encoding="utf-8") as inf:
@@ -1060,9 +1054,7 @@ def __init__(self, cmor_tables_path: str | Path | None = None) -> None:
                     f"Custom CMOR tables path {self._user_table_folder} is "
                     f"not a directory"
                 )
-                raise ValueError(
-                    msg,
-                )
+                raise ValueError(msg)
             self._read_table_dir(self._user_table_folder)
         else:
             self._user_table_folder = None
diff --git a/esmvalcore/preprocessor/__init__.py b/esmvalcore/preprocessor/__init__.py
index 86552814a5..1aea9aa83a 100644
--- a/esmvalcore/preprocessor/__init__.py
+++ b/esmvalcore/preprocessor/__init__.py
@@ -51,7 +51,12 @@
     ensemble_statistics,
     multi_model_statistics,
 )
-from esmvalcore.preprocessor._other import clip, cumulative_sum, histogram
+from esmvalcore.preprocessor._other import (
+    align_metadata,
+    clip,
+    cumulative_sum,
+    histogram,
+)
 from esmvalcore.preprocessor._regrid import (
     extract_coordinate_points,
     extract_levels,
@@ -115,7 +120,7 @@
     # Concatenate all cubes in one
     "concatenate",
     "cmor_check_metadata",
-    # Extract years given by dataset keys (start_year and end_year)
+    # Extract years given by dataset keys (timerange/start_year and end_year)
     "clip_timerange",
     # Data reformatting/CMORization
     "fix_data",
@@ -124,6 +129,8 @@
     "add_supplementary_variables",
     # Derive variable
     "derive",
+    # Align metadata
+    "align_metadata",
     # Time extraction (as defined in the preprocessor section)
     "extract_time",
     "extract_season",
diff --git a/esmvalcore/preprocessor/_other.py b/esmvalcore/preprocessor/_other.py
index 80c947627b..b6e2ad3cc7 100644
--- a/esmvalcore/preprocessor/_other.py
+++ b/esmvalcore/preprocessor/_other.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 from iris.cube import Cube
 from iris.exceptions import CoordinateMultiDimError
 
+from esmvalcore.cmor.table import get_var_info
 from esmvalcore.iris_helpers import (
     ignore_iris_vague_metadata_warnings,
     rechunk_cube,
@@ -30,38 +31,122 @@
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from collections.abc import Iterable, Sequence
 
+    from esmvalcore.cmor.table import VariableInfo
+
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
-def clip(cube, minimum=None, maximum=None):
+def align_metadata(
+    cube: Cube,
+    target_project: str,
+    target_mip: str,
+    target_short_name: str,
+    strict: bool = True,
+) -> Cube:
+    """Set cube metadata to entries from a specific target project.
+
+    This is useful to align variable metadata of different projects prior to
+    performing multi-model operations (e.g.,
+    :func:`~esmvalcore.preprocessor.multi_model_statistics`). For example,
+    standard names differ for some variables between CMIP5 and CMIP6 which
+    would prevent the calculation of multi-model statistics between CMIP5 and
+    CMIP6 data.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    cube:
+        Input cube.
+    target_project:
+        Project from which target metadata is read.
+    target_mip:
+        MIP table from which target metadata is read.
+    target_short_name:
+        Variable short name from which target metadata is read.
+    strict:
+        If ``True``, raise an error if desired metadata cannot be read for
+        variable ``target_short_name`` of MIP table ``target_mip`` and project
+        ``target_project``. If ``False``, no error is raised.
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    iris.cube.Cube
+        Cube with updated metadata.
+
+    Raises
+    ------
+    KeyError
+        Invalid ``target_project`` given.
+    ValueError
+        If ``strict=True``: Variable ``target_short_name`` not available for
+        MIP table ``target_mip`` of project ``target_project``.
+
+    """
+    cube = cube.copy()
+
+    try:
+        var_info = _get_var_info(target_project, target_mip, target_short_name)
+    except ValueError as exc:
+        if strict:
+            raise
+        logger.debug(exc)
+        return cube
+
+    cube.long_name = var_info.long_name
+    cube.standard_name = var_info.standard_name
+    cube.var_name = var_info.short_name
+    cube.convert_units(var_info.units)
+
+    return cube
+
+
+def _get_var_info(project: str, mip: str, short_name: str) -> VariableInfo:
+    """Get variable information."""
+    var_info = get_var_info(project, mip, short_name)
+    if var_info is None:
+        msg = (
+            f"Variable '{short_name}' not available for table '{mip}' of "
+            f"project '{project}'"
+        )
+        raise ValueError(msg)
+    return var_info
+
+
+def clip(
+    cube: Cube,
+    minimum: float | None = None,
+    maximum: float | None = None,
+) -> Cube:
     """Clip values at a specified minimum and/or maximum value.
 
-    Values lower than minimum are set to minimum and values
-    higher than maximum are set to maximum.
+    Values lower than minimum are set to minimum and values higher than maximum
+    are set to maximum.
 
     Parameters
     ----------
-    cube: iris.cube.Cube
-        iris cube to be clipped
-    minimum: float
-        lower threshold to be applied on input cube data.
-    maximum: float
-        upper threshold to be applied on input cube data.
+    cube:
+        Input cube.
+    minimum:
+        Lower threshold to be applied on input cube data.
+    maximum:
+        Upper threshold to be applied on input cube data.
 
     Returns
     -------
     iris.cube.Cube
-        clipped cube.
+        Clipped cube.
+
+    Raises
+    ------
+    ValueError
+        ``minimum`` and ``maximum`` are set to ``None``.
+
     """
     if minimum is None and maximum is None:
-        msg = "Either minimum, maximum or both have to be\
-                          specified."
-        raise ValueError(
-            msg,
-        )
+        msg = "Either minimum, maximum or both have to be specified"
+        raise ValueError(msg)
     if minimum is not None and maximum is not None:
         if maximum < minimum:
-            msg = "Maximum should be equal or larger than minimum."
+            msg = "Maximum should be equal or larger than minimum"
             raise ValueError(msg)
     cube.data = da.clip(cube.core_data(), minimum, maximum)
     return cube
@@ -235,18 +320,14 @@ def histogram(
             f"bins cannot be a str (got '{bins}'), must be int or Sequence of "
             f"int"
         )
-        raise TypeError(
-            msg,
-        )
+        raise TypeError(msg)
     allowed_norms = (None, "sum", "integral")
     if normalization is not None and normalization not in allowed_norms:
         msg = (
             f"Expected one of {allowed_norms} for normalization, got "
             f"'{normalization}'"
         )
-        raise ValueError(
-            msg,
-        )
+        raise ValueError(msg)
 
     # If histogram is calculated over all coordinates, we can use
     # dask.array.histogram and do not need to worry about chunks; otherwise,
@@ -309,9 +390,7 @@ def _get_bins(
             f"Cannot calculate histogram for bin_range={bin_range} (or for "
             f"fully masked data when `bin_range` is not given)"
         )
-        raise ValueError(
-            msg,
-        )
+        raise ValueError(msg)
 
     return (bin_range, bin_edges)
 
diff --git a/tests/integration/cmor/test_table.py b/tests/integration/cmor/test_table.py
index dd7688860f..c2b59d7af4 100644
--- a/tests/integration/cmor/test_table.py
+++ b/tests/integration/cmor/test_table.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 import os
 import unittest
+from pathlib import Path
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -158,6 +159,12 @@ def test_get_activity_from_exp(self):
         activity = self.variables_info.activities["1pctCO2"]
         self.assertListEqual(activity, ["CMIP"])
 
+    def test_invalid_path(self):
+        path = Path(__file__) / "path" / "does" / "not" / "exist"
+        msg = r"CMOR tables not found in"
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=msg):
+            CMIP6Info(path)
+
 
 class Testobs4mipsInfo(unittest.TestCase):
     """Test for the obs$mips info class."""
diff --git a/tests/integration/recipe/test_recipe.py b/tests/integration/recipe/test_recipe.py
index 5bd6ad47dc..1a8de202e4 100644
--- a/tests/integration/recipe/test_recipe.py
+++ b/tests/integration/recipe/test_recipe.py
@@ -3699,3 +3699,183 @@ def test_automatic_already_regrid_era5_grib(
         "target_grid": "1x1",
         "scheme": "nearest",
     }
+
+
+def test_align_metadata(tmp_path, patched_datafinder, session):
+    content = dedent("""
+        preprocessors:
+          test:
+            align_metadata:
+              target_project: CMIP6
+
+        diagnostics:
+          diagnostic_name:
+            variables:
+              tas:
+                preprocessor: test
+                project: CMIP6
+                mip: Amon
+                exp: historical
+                timerange: '20000101/20001231'
+                ensemble: r1i1p1f1
+                grid: gn
+                additional_datasets:
+                  - {dataset: CanESM5}
+
+            scripts: null
+        """)
+    recipe = get_recipe(tmp_path, content, session)
+
+    # Check align_metadata settings have been updated
+    tasks = {t for task in recipe.tasks for t in task.flatten()}
+    assert len(tasks) == 1
+    task = next(iter(tasks))
+    products = task.products
+    assert len(products) == 1
+    product = next(iter(task.products))
+    assert "align_metadata" in product.settings
+    assert product.settings["align_metadata"]["target_project"] == "CMIP6"
+    assert product.settings["align_metadata"]["target_mip"] == "Amon"
+    assert product.settings["align_metadata"]["target_short_name"] == "tas"
+
+
+def test_align_metadata_invalid_project(tmp_path, patched_datafinder, session):
+    content = dedent("""
+        preprocessors:
+          test:
+            align_metadata:
+              target_project: ZZZ
+
+        diagnostics:
+          diagnostic_name:
+            variables:
+              tas:
+                preprocessor: test
+                project: CMIP6
+                mip: Amon
+                exp: historical
+                timerange: '20000101/20001231'
+                ensemble: r1i1p1f1
+                grid: gn
+                additional_datasets:
+                  - {dataset: CanESM5}
+
+            scripts: null
+        """)
+    msg = (
+        "align_metadata failed: \"No CMOR tables available for project 'ZZZ'. "
+        "The following tables are available: custom, CMIP6, CMIP5, CMIP3, OBS, "
+        "OBS6, native6, obs4MIPs, ana4mips, EMAC, CORDEX, IPSLCM, ICON, CESM, "
+        'ACCESS."'
+    )
+    with pytest.raises(RecipeError) as exc:
+        get_recipe(tmp_path, content, session)
+    assert str(exc.value) == INITIALIZATION_ERROR_MSG
+    assert exc.value.failed_tasks[0].message == msg
+
+
+def test_align_metadata_invalid_name(tmp_path, patched_datafinder, session):
+    content = dedent("""
+        preprocessors:
+          test:
+            align_metadata:
+              target_project: CMIP6
+              target_short_name: zzz
+
+        diagnostics:
+          diagnostic_name:
+            variables:
+              tas:
+                preprocessor: test
+                project: CMIP6
+                mip: Amon
+                exp: historical
+                timerange: '20000101/20001231'
+                ensemble: r1i1p1f1
+                grid: gn
+                additional_datasets:
+                  - {dataset: CanESM5}
+
+            scripts: null
+        """)
+    msg = (
+        "align_metadata failed: Variable 'zzz' not available for table 'Amon' "
+        "of project 'CMIP6'. Set `strict=False` to ignore this."
+    )
+    with pytest.raises(RecipeError) as exc:
+        get_recipe(tmp_path, content, session)
+    assert str(exc.value) == INITIALIZATION_ERROR_MSG
+    assert exc.value.failed_tasks[0].message == msg
+
+
+def test_align_metadata_invalid_short_name_not_strict(
+    tmp_path,
+    patched_datafinder,
+    session,
+):
+    content = dedent("""
+        preprocessors:
+          test:
+            align_metadata:
+              target_project: CMIP6
+              target_short_name: zzz
+              strict: false
+
+        diagnostics:
+          diagnostic_name:
+            variables:
+              tas:
+                preprocessor: test
+                project: CMIP6
+                mip: Amon
+                exp: historical
+                timerange: '20000101/20001231'
+                ensemble: r1i1p1f1
+                grid: gn
+                additional_datasets:
+                  - {dataset: CanESM5}
+
+            scripts: null
+        """)
+    recipe = get_recipe(tmp_path, content, session)
+
+    # Check align_metadata settings have been updated
+    tasks = {t for task in recipe.tasks for t in task.flatten()}
+    assert len(tasks) == 1
+    task = next(iter(tasks))
+    products = task.products
+    assert len(products) == 1
+    product = next(iter(task.products))
+    assert "align_metadata" in product.settings
+    assert product.settings["align_metadata"]["target_project"] == "CMIP6"
+    assert product.settings["align_metadata"]["target_mip"] == "Amon"
+    assert product.settings["align_metadata"]["target_short_name"] == "zzz"
+    assert product.settings["align_metadata"]["strict"] is False
+
+
+def test_align_metadata_missing_arg(tmp_path, patched_datafinder, session):
+    content = dedent("""
+        preprocessors:
+          test:
+            align_metadata:
+              target_short_name: tas
+
+        diagnostics:
+          diagnostic_name:
+            variables:
+              tas:
+                preprocessor: test
+                project: CMIP6
+                mip: Amon
+                exp: historical
+                timerange: '20000101/20001231'
+                ensemble: r1i1p1f1
+                grid: gn
+                additional_datasets:
+                  - {dataset: CanESM5}
+
+            scripts: null
+        """)
+    msg = "Missing required argument"
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=msg):
+        get_recipe(tmp_path, content, session)
diff --git a/tests/unit/preprocessor/_other/test_other.py b/tests/unit/preprocessor/_other/test_other.py
index c4dce441dd..8a01dc77a6 100644
--- a/tests/unit/preprocessor/_other/test_other.py
+++ b/tests/unit/preprocessor/_other/test_other.py
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 import unittest
 
 import dask.array as da
-import iris.coord_categorisation
 import iris.coords
 import numpy as np
 import pytest
@@ -20,12 +19,84 @@
 from iris.exceptions import CoordinateMultiDimError
 from numpy.testing import assert_array_equal
 
-from esmvalcore.preprocessor._other import clip, cumulative_sum, histogram
+from esmvalcore.preprocessor import (
+    align_metadata,
+    clip,
+    cumulative_sum,
+    histogram,
+)
 from tests.unit.preprocessor._compare_with_refs.test_compare_with_refs import (
     get_3d_cube,
 )
 
 
+def test_align_metadata():
+    cube = Cube(0.0, units="celsius")
+
+    new_cube = align_metadata(cube, "CMIP6", "Amon", "tas")
+
+    assert new_cube is not cube
+
+    assert new_cube.long_name == "Near-Surface Air Temperature"
+    assert new_cube.standard_name == "air_temperature"
+    assert new_cube.units == "K"
+    assert new_cube.var_name == "tas"
+    np.testing.assert_allclose(new_cube.data, 273.15)
+
+    assert cube.long_name is None
+    assert cube.standard_name is None
+    assert cube.units == "celsius"
+    assert cube.var_name is None
+    np.testing.assert_allclose(cube.data, 0.0)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("short_name", ["sic", "siconc"])
+def test_align_metadata_alt_names(short_name):
+    cube = Cube(0.0, units="%")
+
+    new_cube = align_metadata(cube, "CMIP6", "SImon", short_name)
+
+    assert new_cube is not cube
+
+    assert new_cube.long_name == "Sea-Ice Area Percentage (Ocean Grid)"
+    assert new_cube.standard_name == "sea_ice_area_fraction"
+    assert new_cube.units == "%"
+    assert new_cube.var_name == "siconc"
+    np.testing.assert_allclose(new_cube.data, 0.0)
+
+    assert cube.long_name is None
+    assert cube.standard_name is None
+    assert cube.units == "%"
+    assert cube.var_name is None
+    np.testing.assert_allclose(cube.data, 0.0)
+
+
+def test_align_metadata_invalid_project():
+    cube = Cube(0.0, units="1")
+    msg = "No CMOR tables available for project 'ZZZ'"
+    with pytest.raises(KeyError, match=msg):
+        align_metadata(cube, "ZZZ", "Amon", "tas")
+
+
+def test_align_metadata_invalid_short_name_strict():
+    cube = Cube(0.0, units="1")
+    msg = "Variable 'zzz' not available for table 'Amon' of project 'CMIP6'"
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=msg):
+        align_metadata(cube, "CMIP6", "Amon", "zzz")
+
+
+def test_align_metadata_invalid_short_name_not_strict():
+    cube = Cube(0.0, units="1")
+    new_cube = align_metadata(cube, "CMIP6", "Amon", "zzz", strict=False)
+    assert new_cube is not cube
+    assert new_cube == cube
+    assert new_cube.long_name is None
+    assert new_cube.standard_name is None
+    assert new_cube.units == "1"
+    assert new_cube.var_name is None
+    np.testing.assert_allclose(cube.data, 0.0)
+
+
 class TestOther(unittest.TestCase):
     """Test class for _other."""