Key points
• The tendencies of productivity increasing for the lower- and higher-productivity ecosystems (>45°N) turned out to be weaker than that of the whole.
• The productivity of the ecosystems (>45°N) proved to be more sensitive to the snow-onset than snow-end phenology in their neighboring than own sites.
• The eco-effect of neighboring snow phenology affecting ecosystem productivity occurred more to north in North America but to south in North Eurasia.