The importance of permafrost-affected soils, both at high latitudes and high elevations, in the global carbon cycle and related potential soil transformations due to climate change have been identified. The participants of this session are welcome to present their results on various aspects of permafrost-affected soils including soil genesis, classification, the relationships between permafrost-affected soil properties and changing environmental factors (e.g. productivity and plant species compositions) as well as mapping of soil properties by taking into account soil spatial distribution and variability.