By using the monthly temperature and maximum frozen soil depth data from five meteorological stations in Yushu Prefecture from 1980 to 2017 and the statistical methods of linear trend,correlation and principal component analysis,the variation of the maximum frozen soil depth in Yushu Prefecture under the background of climate warming was discussed in detail. Based on the analysis of the relationship between the frozen soil depth and surface temperature and temperature change,the response model of maximum frozen soil depth to temperature change was given. The main conclusions are: the maximum frozen soil depth in Yushu Prefecture from 1980 to 2017 had showed a significant decline trend with the rate of 10 cm·(10a) ~(- 1),and the spatial variation trend had beenhigh in northwest,low in southeast,and the decadal variation had showed the characteristics of decrease-increase-decrease-increase. There was a lag in time in response to temperature change. The spatial distribution of the maximum frozen soil depth had beenhigh in northwest and low in southeast,with an obvious vertical zonality distribution. There was a certain difference in the effect of temperature change on the local seasonally frozen soil. In addition to the average highest surface temperature,the other factors were in good agreement with the variation of maximum frozen soil depth. The most important factor affecting the frozen soil had been average surface temperature,followed by average minimum air temperature and average air temperature, and the response of seasonally frozen soil to temperature warming had been degraded. The principal component regression of the temperature factors affecting the maximum frozen soil depth had indicated that the significant increase in temperature and ground temperature in recent years was one of the largest driving forces on the degradation of frozen soil in Yushu Prefecture,and the response model has a high reliability for estimating the future maximum frozen soil depth in the prefecture.