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:<b>Primary Results</b><i>QTP_Soil_Thickness.tif</i>: 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.<b>Environmental Zonation</b><i>QTP_Cluster.shp</i>: 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.<b>Comparison and Validation Maps</b><i>Relative percentage difference_Liu.tif</i>: Illustrates the relative percentage difference between the soil thickness simulated in this study and the Liu map.<i>Relative percentage difference_Shangguan.tif</i>: Illustrates the relative percentage difference between this study and the Shangguan map.<b>Regional Detail Maps</b>These files provide higher-detail comparisons in key geomorphological regions to demonstrate model performance:<b>1. Qiangtang Plateau Detail:</b><i>Qiangtang Plateau_This study.tif</i><i>Qiangtang Plateau_Liu.tif</i><i>Qiangtang Plateau_Shangguan.tif</i><b>2. Qaidam Basin Detail:</b><i>Qaidam basin_This study.tif</i><i>Qaidam Basin_Liu.tif</i><i>Qaidam Basin_Shangguan.tif</i><br>Technical 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).<i>Projection: Albers Conic Equal Area</i><i>Standard Parallels: 27.5°N, 37.5°N</i><i>Central Meridian: 90.0°E</i><i>Latitude of Origin: 0.0°</i><i>Datum: WGS 1984</i>Point 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