The Arctic is an epicenter of complex environmental and socioeconomic change. Strengthened connections between Arctic and non-Arctic systems could threaten or enhance Arctic sustainability, but studies of external influences on the Arctic are scattered and fragmented in academic literature. Here, we review and synthesize how external influences have been analyzed in Arctic-coupled human and natural systems (CHANS) literature. Results show that the Arctic is affected by numerous external influences nearby and faraway, including global markets, climate change, governance, military security, and tourism. However, apart from climate change, these connections are infrequently the focus of Arctic CHANS analyses. We demonstrate how Arctic CHANS research could be enhanced and research gaps could be filled using the holistic framework of metacoupling (human–nature interactions within as well as between adjacent and distant systems). Our perspectives provide new approaches to enhance the sustainability of Arctic systems in an interconnected world.

北极是复杂的环境和社会经济变化的中心。加强北极与非北极系统之间的联系可能会威胁或增强北极的可持续性，但学术文献中关于外部对北极影响的研究却是分散且支离破碎的。在这里，我们回顾并综合了北极耦合人类和自然系统（CHANS）文献中如何分析外部影响。研究结果表明，北极受到附近和远处的众多外部影响，包括全球市场、气候变化、治理、军事安全和旅游业。然而，除了气候变化之外，这些联系很少成为北极 CHANS 分析的焦点。我们展示了如何利用元耦合（邻近和遥远系统内部以及之间的人与自然相互作用）的整体框架来加强北极 CHANS 研究并填补研究空白​​。我们的观点提供了在互联世界中增强北极系统可持续性的新方法。