Transport Dynamics and Multiscale Turbulence Analysis of Vegetation Canopies Based on Wind Tunnel Experiments

The momentum transport and scale-dependent motion characteristics within vegetation canopies play a crucial role in shaping near-surface turbulent structures and exchange processes, yet the interactions among different turbulent scales and their statistical representations remain insufficiently understood. Based on a series of controlled wind tunnel experiments, this study identifies coherent turbulent structures using a phase-space algorithm constructed from streamwise velocity fluctuation u′, acceleration a, and jerk j, and compares transport efficiency (exuberance η). This study uses scale-wise (cut-off frequency) momentum flux contribution analysis, natural visibility graph (NVG), and large–small-scale amplitude modulation to examine transport and multiscale behaviors across different canopy densities, array layouts, and inflow conditions. Results show that canopy density (different Cd drag coefficient) is a primary factor governing transport efficiency. Under low-wind staggered configurations, increasing canopy density strengthens the contribution of low-frequency large-scale motions to total momentum flux. In contrast, high-wind aligned configurations intensify canopy-top shear, enhancing small-scale motions and thereby reducing the relative contribution of large-scale motions. NVG analysis further reveals that in high-density canopies, large-scale acceleration and deceleration events tend toward equilibrium, whereas deceleration events dominate consistently in low- and medium-density cases. Amplitude modulation results indicate that high-density cases exhibit highly consistent modulation behavior, followed by low-density cases, while medium-density cases display a pronounced height-dependent variation, characterized by a distinct modulation critical point. This study proposes a unified analytical framework integrating coherent structure detection, graph-theoretic analysis, multiscale transport characterization, and large–small-scale modulation, providing a comprehensive description of momentum transport and scale motions within canopy flows, and it offers new insight into the mechanisms governing complex vegetation canopy turbulence.