Influences of temperature and precipitation before the growing season on spring phenology in grasslands of the central and eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

► Spring phenology responded divergently to climate warming in Tibetan grasslands. ► Thermal spring onset date was determined using linear programming. ► Increasing temperature tended to advance green-up onset of wetter grasslands. ► Temperature and precipitation explained 5%∼55% of variations in green-up onset. ► Results suggest complex responses of spring phenology to climate change.