A Comprehensive Survey of Routing Protocols for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

Jinyu Liu

doi:10.54691/wyngbz29

Authors

Jinyu Liu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/wyngbz29

Keywords:

Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks; Routing Protocols; Localization-based; Localization-free; Acoustic Communication; Optical Communication; Hybrid Routing; Void Handling; Energy Efficiency.

Abstract

Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) have attracted significant research interest due to their broad applications in ocean exploration, environmental monitoring, disaster prevention, and military surveillance. The unique characteristics of the underwater environment—such as high propagation delay, limited bandwidth, node mobility, and energy constraints—pose great challenges for reliable and efficient data delivery. Routing protocols play a crucial role in addressing these challenges by determining optimal paths from underwater nodes to surface sinks. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of recent routing protocols for UWSNs. The protocols are classified into two main categories: localization-based and localization-free protocols. Each category is further subdivided based on the specific problems they address, including node mobility, energy balancing, channel impairment, energy consumption, and void zone handling. For each protocol, we describe its routing strategy, merits, and limitations. In addition, we highlight emerging trends such as hybrid acoustic-optical communication, reinforcement learning-based routing, and multi-objective optimization. Finally, open research challenges and future directions are discussed.

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