Vegetation is the most important component of terrestrial ecosystem,and plays a key role in regulating land carbon balance and climate change.In arid zones,vegetation growth during the growing season primarily depends on winter snowfall,and further research is required on the relationship between vegetation and winter snowfall.Based on GIMMS NDVI during the growing season(April to October)and winter snowfall data simulated by WRF in northern Xinjiang from 1982 to 2013,this study used trend analysis and correlation analysis pixel by pixel to investigate the spatial pattern of NDVI variation,correlation between NDVI and winter snowfall,and the influence of winter snowfall on different ecosystems.The results indicated that:NDVI increased in northern Xinjiang during the growing season,and the increased area is mainly located in farmland and high altitude meadow,while the middle and eastern parts of Junggar Basin showed a decreasing trend.In the study area,winter snowfall showed an increasing trend and the spatial distribution of winter snowfall presented a ring-shape:winter snowfall increases from the central part to the surrounding area.The largest significantly positive correlation between winter snowfall and NDVI was in May and June,and was mainly concentrated in the desert ecosystem of Junggar basin.NDVI of different ecosystems in northern Xinjiang had the hysteresis to winter snowfall,and the impact of winter snowfall on monthly NDVI increases from April,peaks in June,then decreases until the end of the growth season.