Snowmelt decreases light use efficiency in Qinghai-Tibetan plateau between 2000 and 2017

Due to the impact of climate change, significant alterations in snowmelt have already occurred, which have been demonstrated to play a crucial role in photosynthetic carbon sequestration processes in vegetation. However, the effect of changes in snowmelt on light use efficiency (LUE) of grassland remain largely unknown in the permafrost region of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). By utilizing remote sensing data from 2000 to 2017, we conducted an analysis on the spatial and temporal patterns of LUE for various types of permafrost and grassland on the QTP. The LUE of the growing season was 1.1588 g C·MJ^-1, displaying variations among different ecosystems: alpine steppe of seasonally frozen ground (ASS) > alpine meadow of seasonally frozen ground (AMS) > alpine meadow of permafrost (AMP) > alpine steppe of permafrost (ASP). Furthermore, our study demonstrated that decreasing snowmelt during the growing season had a negative impact on LUE through meteorological factors, elucidating its influence on LUE for approximately 40.65%, 34.06%, 41.05%, and 32.68% of ecosystems studied. Reduced snowmelt indirectly affects LUE by lowering air temperatures, vapor pressure deficit and solar radiation, while replenishing soil moisture. Additionally, changes in snowmelt can directly affect LUE by reducing the insulating properties of snow cover. Therefore, when estimating gross primary productivity (GPP) using remote sensing data based on LUE, it is essential to consider the impact of snowmelt. This will better represent vegetation phenology's response to climate change.