Overview: Communication carriers for underwater sensor networks

Abstract

Several techniques of wireless communication can be employed within underwater environment. In this context, acoustic communication is the most widespread technology that has demonstrated its effectiveness. Nevertheless, inspite of its multiple advantages, acoustic communication is prone to throughput limitation. Hence, other carriers are needed in order to deal with acoustic communication drawbacks. In a such complex environment, radio and optical communications are promising techniques since they may reach higher throughput. In this paper, we propose a deep study of the most prominent wireless communication methods for underwater environment namely acoustic, radio and optical carriers. Besides, a comparison between the aforementioned carriers is put forward. Based on the carried out study, we design a water monitoring system for pollution detection in river. The aim consists in selecting the most suitable underwater carrier that can possibly enhance the point-to-point communication among underwater sensor nodes.