Monitoring the Dynamics of Aquatic Vegetation in a Typical Shallow Lake Using the Water Bloom Index Algorithm—A Case Study in Bao’ an Lake in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River

Understanding changes in the distribution and coverage of aquatic vegetation (AV) is of great significance for the restoration of lake ecosystems. In this study, the vegetation and bloom indices (VBI) algorithm were used to interpret submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), floating/emergent aquatic vegetation (FEAV), and algal bloom (AB). The dynamics of AV and their influencing factors in Bao' an Lake, in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in China, were studied from 2000 to 2023. The results showed that (1) the VBI algorithm can accurately distinguish AV and AB of different life forms with an overall accuracy of 93% and a kappa coefficient of 0.86. (2) Macrophyte coverage decreases. AV grew vigorously in spring, and SAV was the dominant type within it, whereas AV coverage was low in summer, and SAV had no summer species for a long time. In 2000, the coverage of AV was the highest, reaching 64.5%, but a gradual decrease that followed in the coming years finally led to a coverage percentage of less than 5% by 2023. (3) The correlation between SAV coverage and total phosphorus (<i>p</i> < 0.01), total nitrogen (<i>p</i> < 0.05), and water depth/transparency (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in Bao' an Lake were 0.23, 0.28, and 0.32, respectively. (4) The SAV species experienced three stages: richness (before 2003), monotonicity (2004-2020), and final disappearance (2021-present). This study shows that the coverage of AV in Bao' an Lake is too low and the number of SAV species is one (2010-now). Therefore, it is necessary to implement measures to improve vegetation coverage and diversity.