未2H biomarker record was established for a lake sediment archive.
16 ka 未18Osugar and 未2Hn-alkane biomarker records follow similar trends.
未18O/未2H differences are explained by evaporative isotopic enrichment of lake water.
Reconstructed d-excess of lake water serves as proxy for evaporative losses.
A coupled 未18O–未2H approach allows a model-based reconstruction of 未18O/未2Hprec.