<jats:p>Abstract. The current version of JSBACH incorporates phenomena specific to high latitudes: freeze/thaw processes, coupling thermal and hydrological processes in a layered soil scheme, defining a multilayer snow representation and an insulating moss cover. Evaluations using comprehensive Arctic data sets show comparable results at the site, basin, continental and circumarctic scales. Such comparisons highlight the need to include processes relevant to high-latitude systems in order to capture the dynamics, and therefore realistically predict the evolution of this climatically critical biome. </jats:p>