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Underwater optical wireless communications, networking, and localization: A survey

Underwater optical wireless communications, networking, and localization: A survey
Underwater optical wireless communications, networking, and localization: A survey

Underwater wireless communications can be carried out through acoustic, radio frequency (RF), and optical waves. Compared to its bandwidth limited acoustic and RF counterparts, underwater optical wireless communications (UOWCs) can support higher data rates at low latency levels. However, the severe aquatic channel conditions (e.g., absorption, scattering, turbulence, etc.) pose great challenges for UOWCs and significantly reduce the attainable communication ranges, which necessitates efficient networking and localization solutions. Therefore, we provide a comprehensive survey on the challenges, advances, and prospects of underwater optical wireless networks (UOWNs) from a layer by layer perspective which includes: (1) Physical layer issues including propagation characteristics, channel modeling, and modulation techniques (2) Data link layer problems covering link configurations, link budgets, performance metrics, and multiple access schemes; (3) Network layer topics containing relaying techniques and potential routing algorithms; (4) Transport layer subjects such as connectivity, reliability, flow and congestion control; (5) Application layer goals, and (6) Localization and its impacts on UOWN layers. Finally, we outline the open research challenges and point out the prospective directions for underwater optical wireless communications, networking, and localization studies.

Acquisitioning, Cross-layer design, Localization, Networking, Optical wireless communication, Positioning, Relaying, Routing, Tracking, Underwater sensor networks
1570-8705
Saeed, Nasir
1a8fe222-ce62-48df-b04a-96ed8760e0a1
Celik, Abdulkadir
f8e72266-763c-4849-b38e-2ea2f50a69d0
Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.
e4ec48c1-9987-49cd-b3ef-4942a3a3483e
Alouini, Mohamed Slim
3ccd5915-318e-4f4b-b47a-48257ab4c0eb
Saeed, Nasir
1a8fe222-ce62-48df-b04a-96ed8760e0a1
Celik, Abdulkadir
f8e72266-763c-4849-b38e-2ea2f50a69d0
Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.
e4ec48c1-9987-49cd-b3ef-4942a3a3483e
Alouini, Mohamed Slim
3ccd5915-318e-4f4b-b47a-48257ab4c0eb

Saeed, Nasir, Celik, Abdulkadir, Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y. and Alouini, Mohamed Slim (2019) Underwater optical wireless communications, networking, and localization: A survey. Ad Hoc Networks, 94, [101935]. (doi:10.1016/j.adhoc.2019.101935).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Underwater wireless communications can be carried out through acoustic, radio frequency (RF), and optical waves. Compared to its bandwidth limited acoustic and RF counterparts, underwater optical wireless communications (UOWCs) can support higher data rates at low latency levels. However, the severe aquatic channel conditions (e.g., absorption, scattering, turbulence, etc.) pose great challenges for UOWCs and significantly reduce the attainable communication ranges, which necessitates efficient networking and localization solutions. Therefore, we provide a comprehensive survey on the challenges, advances, and prospects of underwater optical wireless networks (UOWNs) from a layer by layer perspective which includes: (1) Physical layer issues including propagation characteristics, channel modeling, and modulation techniques (2) Data link layer problems covering link configurations, link budgets, performance metrics, and multiple access schemes; (3) Network layer topics containing relaying techniques and potential routing algorithms; (4) Transport layer subjects such as connectivity, reliability, flow and congestion control; (5) Application layer goals, and (6) Localization and its impacts on UOWN layers. Finally, we outline the open research challenges and point out the prospective directions for underwater optical wireless communications, networking, and localization studies.

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More information

Published date: November 2019
Additional Information: Publisher Copyright: © 2019 Elsevier B.V.
Keywords: Acquisitioning, Cross-layer design, Localization, Networking, Optical wireless communication, Positioning, Relaying, Routing, Tracking, Underwater sensor networks

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 504824
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/504824
ISSN: 1570-8705
PURE UUID: 07688881-89bd-4b5f-8f1d-94853454e63a
ORCID for Abdulkadir Celik: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9007-9979

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 19 Sep 2025 16:35
Last modified: 20 Sep 2025 02:30

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Contributors

Author: Nasir Saeed
Author: Abdulkadir Celik ORCID iD
Author: Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri
Author: Mohamed Slim Alouini

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