Dataset associated with the paper “A physically consistent soil thickness map of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau derived from coupled erosion mechanisms”

This dataset is associated with the research paper: "A physically consistent soil thickness map of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau derived from coupled erosion mechanisms" submitted to Earth System Science Data for consideration for publication, 2025.This dataset provides a high-resolution (1 km) soil thickness map for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), covering approximately 2.5 million km². The data was generated using a Revised Mass Balance Model, which couples physical weathering with wind, hydraulic, and gravitational erosion processes. Unlike traditional empirical or machine-learning-based maps, this dataset ensures physical consistency across the plateau’s diverse and complex landscapes.The dataset consists of the following files:Primary ResultsQTP_Soil_Thickness.tif: The final simulated soil thickness map for the QTP. Values represent soil thickness in meters (m), ranging from approximately 0.39 m to 2.04 m.Environmental ZonationQTP_Cluster.shp: A shapefile containing the zonation of the QTP into eight environmentally distinct clusters. These zones were constructed using a k-prototypes clustering algorithm based on 12 primary environmental factors to allow for independent model calibration in each region.Comparison and Validation MapsRelative percentage difference_Liu.tif: Illustrates the relative percentage difference between the soil thickness simulated in this study and the Liu map.Relative percentage difference_Shangguan.tif: Illustrates the relative percentage difference between this study and the Shangguan map.Regional Detail MapsThese files provide higher-detail comparisons in key geomorphological regions to demonstrate model performance:1. Qiangtang Plateau Detail:Qiangtang Plateau_This study.tifQiangtang Plateau_Liu.tifQiangtang Plateau_Shangguan.tif2. Qaidam Basin Detail:Qaidam basin_This study.tifQaidam Basin_Liu.tifQaidam Basin_Shangguan.tifTechnical specifications are as follows:Spatial Resolution: 1 km x 1 kmFormat: GeoTIFF (.tif) for raster data; ESRI Shapefile (.shp) for vector data.Coordinate System: WGS_1984_Albers (Custom Equal Area Projection for QTP).Projection: Albers Conic Equal AreaStandard Parallels: 27.5°N, 37.5°NCentral Meridian: 90.0°ELatitude of Origin: 0.0°Datum: WGS 1984Point of ContactShuping Zhao (shuping#njnu.edu.cn)Zhuotong Nan (nanzt#njnu.edu.cn) (Orcid) Cite AsChen, L., Ding, X., Zhao, S. and Nan, Z., Dataset associated with the paper “A physically consistent soil thickness map of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau derived from coupled erosion mechanisms”, figshare [data set], https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30925358, 2025