Wireless underwater acoustic communication systems have become one of the most promising technologies for the development and deployment of future ocean observation and sensor networks. Applications range from oil prospecting and transportation to aquaculture, and include pollution control, climate recording, prediction of natural disturbances, search and survey missions, etc. The high attenuation of electromagnetic waves in underwater medium precludes them from being used as the information vehicle. Therefore, acoustic waves are the most viable alternative for the transmission. Nevertheless, the underwater acoustic channel is not free of drawbacks. On the contrary, it exhibits important obstacles that must be overcome if communication networks are to be implemented in the future. In addition, underwater systems have inherently serious problems of power supply and batteries duration. At the same time, network protocols must take into account the specific characteristics of the transmission medium, not dismissing the slow propagation speed. This talk will present an overall view of the acoustic channel characteristics and their impact on network protocols.
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