1) Data content (including elements and meanings): Gridded daily average air temperature of the Tibetan Plateau during 1980-2014 at 1-km resolution 2) Data source and processing method: Developed by integrating 8 types of reanalysis data (i.e., NNRP-2, 20CRV2c, JRA-55, ERA-Interim, MERRA2, CFSR, GLDAS and ERA5) downscaled with MODIS-estimated temperature lapse rates based on machine learing 3) Data quality description: According to leave-one-out validation based on stations, the average RMSE at China Adimistration Stations is about 1.7 ℃ and that at high-elevation field stations is about 1.9 ℃ 4) Data application results and prospects: This dataset can be used as air temperature input for driving long-term hydrologial modelling or evaluated for use in climate analysis 5) Recommended Citation: Zhang, H., Zhang, F., Zhang, G., Che, T., & Yan, W. (2018). How accurately can the air temperature lapse rate over the Tibetan Plateau be estimated from MODIS LSTs?. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 123(8), 3943-3960.