Performance evaluation of path loss models for mobile Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

To advance the state of the art in developing the protocols for Ubiquitous Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks (UU-ASN) relies on the use of computer simulations to evaluate protocol performance. To simplify the complexity in implementation, physical environment characteristics are not implemented in detail in simulation ensuring a logical simulation runtime performance. Understanding the subject in relevance to path loss, the development of a standardized, precise underwater path loss model has become an elusive goal. The proposed path loss model is based on the fundamental ocean acoustics which computes the capacity of an acoustic network (i.e. Energy and bandwidth) and the efficiency of scalable channel sharing protocols. Further simulations were carried out to assess the performance of the various path loss models with Underwater Acoustic model based on the bit error rate effects, latency and the packet delivery ratio of the customized physical layer. The effect of weather season and the variability of ocean environmental factors such as water temperature on the communication performance are also considered. The mathematical analysis and simulations highlight important considerations for the deployment and operation of UU-ASN to examine different underwater acoustic networking protocols.