We present a hydrogen isotopic record of long-chain n-alkanes in Lake Sugan to reconstruct regional moisture changes in the last 1700 years at a sampling resolution of 25 years. The δD values decreased by over 30‰ from the ‘Medieval Warm Period’ (MWP; c. ad 600–1500) to the ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA; c. ad 1500–1850), and indicated that the moisture pattern included a relatively humid climate before the MWP, becoming drier overall in the MWP, wetter in the LIA, and then tending towards drought in the post-industrial era. In the study region, Chenopodiceae shrubs were more abundant in dry climates than in wet. Meanwhile, δD values of shrubs were more positive than those of grasses. Therefore, we suggest that the vegetation type (shrub or grass), which depends on moisture changes, is the controlling factor for δD variations in Lake Sugan.
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