diff --git a/esmvalcore/preprocessor/_mask.py b/esmvalcore/preprocessor/_mask.py
index 741d45686f..edc6247b2d 100644
--- a/esmvalcore/preprocessor/_mask.py
+++ b/esmvalcore/preprocessor/_mask.py
@@ -690,3 +690,49 @@ def _get_fillvalues_mask(cube, threshold_fraction, min_value, time_window):
         mask = mask.data | mask.mask
 
     return mask
+
+
+def mask_generalized(cube, mask_cube, mask_operation):
+    """Mask out either landsea (combined) or ice.
+
+    Function that masks out data in a given cube, based on a
+    user-defined operation and a secondary cube (used as mask generator).
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    cube: iris.cube.Cube
+        data cube to be masked.
+
+    mask_cube: iris.cube.Cube
+        data cube to be used as mask.
+
+    mask_operation: str
+        conditional operation that generates a mask on cube.
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    iris.cube.Cube
+        Returns masked iris cube after applying mask_operation via mask_cube.
+
+    Raises
+    ------
+    ValueError
+        Error raised if landsea-ice mask not found as an ancillary variable.
+    """
+    if not isinstance(mask_operation, dict):
+        raise ValueError(f"A valid masking operation dictionary is "
+                         f"needed, got mask_operation {mask_operation}")
+
+    # use case 1: mask mask_cube above a certain threshold
+    # then get its mask and add it to the input cube's one (if any)
+    if "above_threshold" in mask_operation:
+        if "threshold" not in mask_operation:
+            raise KeyError('A valid "threshold" parameter must be specified '
+                           'for above_threshold mask_operation')
+        threshold = mask_operation["threshold"]
+        masked_above_th = mask_above_threshold(mask_cube, threshold)
+
+    cubes = iris.cube.CubeList([cube, masked_above_th])
+    cube = _multimodel_mask_cubes(cubes, cube.shape)[0]
+
+    return cube
diff --git a/tests/unit/preprocessor/_mask/test_mask.py b/tests/unit/preprocessor/_mask/test_mask.py
index a6b28e2cae..f9e20114fb 100644
--- a/tests/unit/preprocessor/_mask/test_mask.py
+++ b/tests/unit/preprocessor/_mask/test_mask.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 import numpy as np
 
 import iris
+import iris.fileformats
 import tests
 from cf_units import Unit
 from esmvalcore.preprocessor._mask import (_apply_fx_mask,
@@ -12,7 +13,8 @@
                                            mask_above_threshold,
                                            mask_below_threshold,
                                            mask_glaciated, mask_inside_range,
-                                           mask_outside_range)
+                                           mask_outside_range,
+                                           mask_generalized)
 
 
 class Test(tests.Test):
@@ -126,6 +128,18 @@ def test_mask_outside_range(self):
         expected = np.ma.array(self.data2, mask=[[True, False], [False, True]])
         self.assert_array_equal(result.data, expected)
 
+    def test_mask_generalized_above_threshold(self):
+        """Test mask generalized."""
+        cube = self.time_cube
+        mask_cube = self.time_cube
+        mask_operation = {"above_threshold": True, "threshold": 2.0}
+        result = mask_generalized(cube, mask_cube, mask_operation)
+        self.assert_array_equal(result.shape, (24,))
+        self.assert_array_equal(result.data, cube.data)
+        mask = np.ones((24), bool)
+        mask[0:2] = False
+        self.assert_array_equal(result.data.mask, mask)
+
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     unittest.main()