This data set is a digital elevation model of the Tibetan Plateau and can be used to assist in analysis and research of basic geographic information for the Tibetan Plateau. The raw data were the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data, which were provided by Global Land Cover Network (GLCN), and the raw data were framing data , using the WGS84 coordinate system, including latitude and longitude, with a spatial resolution of 3″. After the mosaic processing, the Nodata (null data) generated in the mosaic process were interpolated and filled. After filling, the projection conversion process was performed to generate data as Albers equal area conical projection. After the conversion projection, the spatial resolution of the data was 90 m. Finally, the boundary of the Tibetan Plateau was used for cutting to obtain DEM data. This data table has two fields. Field 1: value Data type: long integer Interpretation: altitude elevation Unit: m Field 2: count Data type: long integer Interpretation: The number of map spots corresponding to the altitude elevation Data accuracy: spatial resolution: 90 m

The SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) data were obtained from the Endeavour space shuttle jointly launched by NASA and NIMA in February 2000. The SRTM system on the Endeavour had been collecting data for 222 hours and 23 minutes. It covered more than 80% of the global land surface from 60° north latitude to 56° south Latitude, including the whole territory of China. The radar image data acquired by the program have been processed for more than two years to form a digital terrain elevation model. The raw data of this data set were downloaded from the SRTM data distribution website (http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org). For the convenience of using the data, based on the framing of STRM data, we use Erdas software to splice and prepare the STMR mosaic of the Tibetan Plateau. The accuracy is 30 meters, and the data are in geoTIFF format. The raw data of this data set was downloaded from the SRTM data distribution website (http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org). The SRTM data provides a file for each latitude and longitude square. There are two kinds of longitude files, which are 1 arc-second and 3 arc-second, denoted SRTM1 and SRTM3, or 30-m and 90-m data. This data set comprises SRTM3 data with a resolution of 90 m, and the version is SRTM V4.1 (GeoTIFF format).

The Tibetan Plateau Glacier Data –TPG2013 is a glacial coverage data on the Tibetan Plateau around 2013. 128 Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) images were selected with 30-m spatial resolution, for comparability with previous and current glacier inventories. Besides, about 20 images acquired in 2014 were used to complete the full coverage of the TP. The most frequent year in this period was defined as the reference year for the mosaic image: i.e. 2013. Glacier outlines were digitized on-screen manually from the 2013 image mosaic, relying on false-colour image composites (RGB by bands 654), which allowed us to distinguish ice/snow from cloud. Debris-free ice was distinguished from the debris and debris-covered ice by its higher reflectance. Debris-covered ice was not delineated in this data. [To minimize the effects of snow or cloud cover on glacierized areas, high-resolution (30 m spatial resolution and 4-day repetition cycle) images were also used for reference in glacier delineation from the Chinese satellites HJ-1A and HJ-1B, which were launched on Sep.6th 2008. Both carried as payload two 4-band CCD cameras with swath width 700 km (360 km per camera). All HJ-1A/1B data in 2012, 2013 and 2014 (65 scenes, Fig.S1, Table S1) were from China Centre for Resources Satellite Data and Application (CRESDA; http://www.cresda.com/n16/n92006/n92066/n98627/index.html). Each scene was orthorectified with respect to the 30m-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and Landsat images.] The delineated glacier outlines were compared with band-ratio (e.g. TM3/TM5) results, and validated by overlapping them onto Google Earth imagery, SRTM DEM, topographic maps and corresponding satellite images. Topographic maps from the 1970s and all available satellite images (including Google EarthTM imagery and HJ-1A/1B satellite data) were used as base reference data. For areas with mountain shadows and snow cover, they were verified by different methods using data from different seasons. For glaciers in deep shadow, Google EarthTM imagery from different dates was used as the reference for manual delineation. Steep slopes or headwalls were also excluded in the TPG2013. Areas that appeared in any of these sources to have the characteristics of exposed ground/basement/bed rock were manually delineated as non-glacier, and were also cross-checked with CGI-1 and CGI-2. Steep hanging glaciers were included in TPG2013 if they were identifiable on images in all three epochs (i.e. TPG1976, TPG2001, and TPG2013). The accuracy of manual digitization was controlled within one half-pixel. All glacier areas were calculated on the WGS84 spheroid in an Albers equal-area map projection centred at (95°E, 30°N) with standard parallels at 15°N and 65°N. Our results showed that the relative deviation of manual interpretation was less than 3.9%.