A dataset of glacier elevation change in Muztag Ata and Kongur Tagh from 1971 to 2014

Glacier change under climate change plays a significant role in regional water resources and the hydrological cycle, and glacier elevation change is one of the key indicators of climate change. Muztag Ata and Kongur Tagh region is one of the key glacier regions in eastern Pamir, China. This region is not only a hot area of glacier study, but also the part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Therefore, the importance of glaciers research in this region is growing. Glacier elevation changes were derived from topographic maps, SRTM DEM and ASTER images from 1971 to 2014. Within the spatial extent of 38°N–39°N，74°40′E–75°40′E, the region covers 434 glaciers with total area of 998.78 km2. The result was restored in stored in GeoTiff format in 32-bit floating point with a spatial resolution of 30 m. To mitigate influences of the relative errors between DEMs from the generating procedures, we correct these errors before estimating elevation change using the relation between error and terrain factor. And we also evaluated the penetration depth of the C-band radar beam of SRTM into snow and ice. A statistical analysis of the residual error of elevation change in the non-glacial area indicates that the results have an overall accuracy of about 0.02~0.07 m a-1. The dataset can serve as the basis for investigating the glacier volume change in this region, providing statistical support for glacier mass balance research. In addition, the dataset can be analyzed combine the data of climate and hydrology, revealing the quantitative relationship between glaciers, climate and hydrology. It will be helpful in improving scientific understanding of the dynamics of glaciers under a changing climate and our knowledge of the water effects of glacial changes in the region.