show Abstracthide AbstractWe have in this study applied, for the first time, a combined metagenomic and metatranscriptomic approach on high-Arctic peat soils to obtain on-site information about the genomic potential for SOC transformation and to identify the active microorganisms driving these processes. We compared the Arctic peat metagenomes with metagenomes from temperate soils and proposed a model of SOC degradation in Arctic peat, including anaerobic respiratory and fermentative pathways, and methanogenic and methanotrophic microorganisms. High Arctic peat soil from Svalbard.