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This article addresses the problem of coherent detection of acoustic orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals using a sparse channel estimation method based on a physical model of multipath propagation. Unlike the conventional sample-spaced and subsample-spaced methods, such as least squares and orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP), which target the taps of an equivalent discrete-delay channel response, the path identification (PI) method targets the physical propagation paths in a continuous-delay domain, and focuses on explicit estimation of delays and complex amplitudes of the channel paths in an iterative fashion. When multiple receive elements are available, two situations are possible: one in which the array elements see uncorrelated channel responses, and another in which the channel responses are correlated. In the first case, channel estimation must be accomplished element-by-element. This is done simply by applying the PI algorithm to each element individually. In the second case, correlation between the elements can be exploited. In doing so, our goal is to reduce the signal processing complexity without compromising the performance. Toward this goal, an adaptive precombining method is proposed. Without requiring any a priori knowledge about the spatial distribution of received signals, the method exploits spatial coherence between receive channels by linearly combining them into fewer output channels so as to reduce the number of subsequent channel estimators. The algorithm learns the spatial coherence pattern recursively over the carriers, thus effectively achieving broadband beamforming. The reduced-complexity precombining method relies on differential encoding that keeps the receiver complexity at a minimum and requires a very low pilot overhead. Using synthetic data as well as 210 experimental signals transmitted over a 3–7-km shallow-water channel in the 10.5–15.5-kHz acoustic band during a 3.5-h experiment, we study the system performance in terms of data detection mean-squared error (MSE), symbol error rate, and bit error rate (BER), and show that the PI algorithm achieves excellent MSE performance while its complexity is considerably lower than that of the OMP algorithm. We also demonstrate that the receiver equipped with the proposed reduced-complexity precombining scheme requires three times fewer channel estimators while achieving the same MSE and BER performance as the full-complexity receiver.

In this paper, we investigate an automatic repeat request (ARQ) for reliable transmission over half-duplex links. We design a method based on grouped packet coding (GPC) that combines a stop-and-wait (S&W) ARQ procedure with random linear packet coding and selective acknowledgments applied to groups of coded packets. Our goal in doing so is to boost the throughput efficiency on poor-quality links with long delay. Such links are notably encountered in underwater acoustic channels, where the bit error rate may be as high as $10^{-3}$ and round-trip delays can be measured in thousands of bits. To quantify the benefits of the proposed S&W-GPC method, we evaluate its throughput efficiency analytically and compare it with the throughput efficiency of standard S&W methods, as well as the benchmark efficiency of full-duplex methods. Our results show that S&W-GPC outperforms all other techniques on half-duplex links with long delay, as well as rateless packet coding on full-duplex links with long delay. We present results for a point-to-point link, as well as for a multicast network. In addition to the performance analysis, we offer guidelines for an optimal system design, which involves a judicious choice of the packet size, packet coding, and grouping parameters.

Underwater acoustic communications and networking technologies are critical tools for underwater exploration, subsea resource extraction, national defensemissions, etc. Their roles are becoming ever more important as nations around the globe turn to the oceans as sustainable sources of food and energy. The quest for acoustic communications has steadily intensified over the past two decades, addressing key issues of bandwidth efficiency, reliability, and latency, and focusing on adapting to the changing propagation conditions. These features are often at odds, as the nature of acoustic propagation forces tradeoffs on the system designer. For a high data rate, one must trade reliability; for full reliability, one must trade latency. While it is tempting to say that these channel-imposed constraints and tradeoffs are annoying, it is also true thatworkingwith the acoustic channel provides unique technical challenges and solutions that are not seen in other areas.

The papers in this special section were presented at the Underwater Communications and Networking (UComms) conference that was held August 28–30, 2018, in Lerici, Italy.

We consider random linear packet coding for fading channels with long propagation delays, such as underwater acoustic channels. We propose a scheme in which the number of coded packets to transmit is determined to achieve a prespecified outage/reliability criterion and investigate joint power and rate control with constrained resources. Using the channel state information that is obtained via feedback from the receiver, the transmitter adjusts its power and the number of coded packets so that the average energy per successfully transmitted bit of information is minimized. Two optimization constraints are imposed: 1) the transmit power should not exceed a maximum level; and 2) the number of coded packets should not exceed a maximum value dictated by the desired throughput and delay. We further extend the results to take into account the effect of inevitable channel estimation errors, and consider the case in which the transmitter has only an estimate of the channel gain. We design adaptation policies for such a case based on minimum mean square error (MMSE) channel estimation, taking into account the effect of channel estimation errors in an optimal manner to satisfy the required outage/reliability criterion. Finally, we compare the proposed technique to standard automatic repeat request (ARQ) protocols for underwater communications in terms of the throughput efficiency. Analytical results show that substantial energy savings and improvements in throughput efficiency are available from adaptive power/rate control. We also present experimental results obtained using channel gains measured during the Surface Process Acoustic Communication Experiment (SPACE-08), an at-sea underwater experiment conducted off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in fall 2008.

In this paper, we consider a class of single-input–multiple-output (SIMO) underwater acoustic communication channels, where each propagation path can be characterized by a complex-valued Gaussian block-fading model. The capacity of such channels is computed and analyzed using three power allocation strategies: waterfilling, uniform, and on–off uniform power allocation across the signal bandwidth. Our analysis considers the effects of imperfect channel estimation, delayed feedback, and pilot overhead, which are found to contribute to about 1 (b/s)/Hz loss from 4 (b/s)/Hz at 20-dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the experimental channel. We find that given the long feedback delays associated with acoustic channels, all-on uniform power allocation, which does not require feedback and is simple to implement, emerges as a justified practical solution that outperforms the other strategies. Furthermore, when considering acoustic-specific propagation effects, such as frequency-dependent attenuation and colored noise, considerable gain can be achieved by selecting the frequency band according to the attenuation pattern and the available transmit power, e.g., at least 6-dB gain for a 10-km link when compared to transmission over a preselected frequency band of 10–15 kHz.

In this paper, we propose a class of methods for compensating for the Doppler distortions of the underwater acoustic channel for differentially coherent detection of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signals. These methods are based on multiple fast Fourier transform (FFT) demodulation, and are implemented as partial (P), shaped (S), fractional (F), and Taylor (T) series expansion FFT demodulation. They replace the conventional FFT demodulation with a few FFTs and a combiner. The input to each FFT is a specific transformation of the input signal, and the combiner performs weighted summation of the FFT outputs. The four methods differ in the choice of the pre-FFT transformation (P, S, F, T), while the rest of the receiver remains identical across these methods. We design an adaptive algorithm of stochastic gradient type to learn the combiner weights for differentially coherent detection. The algorithm is cast into the multichannel framework to take advantage of spatial diversity. The receiver is also equipped with an improved synchronization technique for estimating the dominant Doppler shift and resampling the signal before demodulation. An additional technique of carrier sliding is introduced to aid in the post-FFT combining process when residual Doppler shift is nonnegligible. Synthetic data, as well as experimental data from a recent mobile acoustic communication experiment (few kilometers in shallow water, 10.5–15.5-kHz band) are used to demonstrate the performance of the proposed methods, showing significant improvement over conventional detection techniques with or without intercarrier interference equalization (5–7 dB on average over multiple hours), as well as improved bandwidth efficiency [ability to support up to 2048 quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) modulated carriers].

In this paper, Alamouti space-frequency block coding, applied over the carriers of an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system, is considered for obtaining transmit diversity in an underwater acoustic channel. This technique relies on the assumptions that there is sufficient spatial diversity between the channels of the two transmitters, and that each channel changes slowly over the carriers, thus satisfying the basic Alamouti coherence requirement and allowing simple data detection. We propose an adaptive channel estimation method based on Doppler prediction and time smoothing, whose decision-directed operation allows for reduction in the pilot overhead. System performance is demonstrated using real data transmitted in the 10-15-kHz acoustic band from a vehicle moving at 0.5-2 m/s and received over a shallow-water channel, using quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) and a varying number of carriers ranging from 64 to 1024. Results demonstrate an average mean squared error gain of about 2 dB as compared to the single-transmitter case and an order of magnitude decrease in the bit error rate when the number of carriers is chosen optimally. This work was supported in part by the ONR under grants N00014-07-1-0738, N00014-09-1-0700, and the NSF grant CNS-1212999.

Cataloged from PDF version of article. In this paper, we explore design aspects of adaptive modulation based on orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) for underwater acoustic (UWA) communications, and study its performance using real-time at-sea experiments. Our design criterion is to maximize the system throughput under a target average bit error rate (BER). We consider two different schemes based on the level of adaptivity: in the first scheme, only the modulation levels are adjusted while the power is allocated uniformly across the subcarriers, whereas in the second scheme, both the modulation levels and the power are adjusted adaptively. For both schemes we linearly predict the channel one travel time ahead so as to improve the performance in the presence of a long propagation delay. The system design assumes a feedback link from the receiver that is exploited in two forms: one that conveys the modulation alphabet and quantized power levels to be used for each subcarrier, and the other that conveys a quantized estimate of the sparse channel impulse response. The second approach is shown to be advantageous, as it requires significantly fewer feedback bits for the same system throughput. The effectiveness of the proposed adaptive schemes is demonstrated using computer simulations, real channel measurements recorded in shallow water off the western coast of Kauai, HI, USA, in June 2008, and real-time at-sea experiments conducted at the same location in July 2011. We note that this is the first paper that presents adaptive modulation results for UWA links with real-time at-sea experiments. © 2013 IEEE.

Underwater acoustic channel models provide a tool for predicting the performance of communication systems before deployment, and are thus essential for system design. In this paper, we offer a statistical channel model which incorporates physical laws of acoustic propagation (frequency-dependent attenuation, bottom/surface reflections), as well as the effects of inevitable random local displacements. Specifically, we focus on random displacements on two scales: those that involve distances on the order of a few wavelengths, to which we refer as small-scale effects, and those that involve many wavelengths, to which we refer as large-scale effects. Small-scale effects include scattering and motion-induced Doppler shifting, and are responsible for fast variations of the instantaneous channel response, while large-scale effects describe the location uncertainty and changing environmental conditions, and affect the locally averaged received power. We model each propagation path by a large-scale gain and micromultipath components that cumulatively result in a complex Gaussian distortion. Time- and frequency-correlation properties of the path coefficients are assessed analytically, leading to a computationally efficient model for numerical channel simulation. Random motion of the surface and transmitter/receiver displacements introduce additional variation whose temporal correlation is described by Bessel-type functions. The total energy, or the gain contained in the channel, averaged over small scale, is modeled as log-normally distributed. The models are validated using real data obtained from four experiments. Specifically, experimental data are used to assess the distribution and the autocorrelation functions of the large-scale transmission loss and the short-term path gains. While the former indicates a log-normal distribution with an exponentially decaying autocorrelation, the latter indicates a conditional Ricean distribution with Bessel-type autocorrelation.

In this paper, we derive bounds to the channel capacity of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems over the underwater (UW) acoustic fading channel as a function of the distance between the transmitter and the receiver. The upper bound is obtained under perfect channel state information (CSI) at the receiver. The lower bound is obtained assuming the input is drawn from phase-shift keying (PSK) constellation which results in non-Gaussian distribution of the output signal and no CSI. The reduction from the upper bound is due to limited mutual information that can be conveyed by PSK constellation and the linear minimum mean square prediction error. Our UW channel deviates from the wide sense stationary and uncorrelated scattering (WSSUS) model commonly used for small bandwidths. We incorporate frequency-dependent path loss due to the acoustic propagation into each arrival path between the transmitter and the receiver. This leads the UW channel to be modeled as a frequency-dependent doubly spread fading channel characterized by the wide sense stationary and correlated scattering (WSS-non-US) fading assumption. Both Rayleigh and Ricean fading assumptions are investigated in our model. Results from the model show a gap between the upper and lower bounds which depends not only on the ranges and shape of the scattering function of the UW channel but also on the distance between the transmitter and the receiver. Our model for the scattering function was suggested by Rescheduled Acoustic Communications Experiment (RACE08) experimental data, leading to a multilag autoregressive (AR- q) model for the fading.

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has emerged as a promising modulation scheme for underwater acoustic (UWA) communications, thanks to its robustness to channels with severe time dispersion. Compared to conventional single-carrier systems, for which complicated equalization schemes are usually required, OFDM systems are in general much simpler to implement as detection can be carried out symbol-by-symbol over time-dispersive channels. In this paper, we focus on cyclic-prefixed OFDM over time-varying UWA channels. To cope with the intercarrier interference (ICI) that arises at the receiver side because of the time variations in the channel, we consider two ICI-mitigation techniques. In the first scheme, the ICI coefficients are explicitly estimated, and minimum mean square error linear equalization based on such estimates is performed. In the second approach, no explicit ICI estimation is performed, and detection is based on an adaptive decision-feedback equalizer applied in the frequency domain across adjacent subcarriers. To cope with the phase variations of the ICI coefficients, phase-tracking loops are introduced in both ICI-mitigation schemes. The effectiveness of the presented schemes is demonstrated through simulation results, as well as real data collected in a recent experiment conducted in shallow water off the western coast of Kauai, HI, in June 2008.

In this paper, a multihop underwater acoustic line network, which consists of a series of equal-distance hops connected by relay transceivers in a tandem, is considered. Messages are originated as coded packets from a source node at one end, relayed sequentially hop by hop (decoded and re-encoded), and finally received by a destination node at the other end of the network. Several key characteristics of underwater acoustic channels, namely, frequency-dependent signal attenuation and noise, interhop interference, half-duplex modem constraint, and large propagation delay, are taken into account in the analysis. Simple transmission protocols with spatial reuse and periodic transmit/receive schedule are considered. Performance bounds and scheduling design are developed to satisfy the half-duplex constraint on relay transceivers in the presence of long propagation delay. To efficiently cope with frequency-dependent channel characteristic and interhop interference, the power spectral density (PSD) of the signaling is analytically optimized in a way analogous to water filling. Furthermore, the problem of determining the minimum number of hops to support a prespecified rate and reliability with and without a maximum coded packet length constraint is examined. Finally, numerical results are presented to illustrate the analysis.

Path loss in an underwater acoustic channel depends not only on the transmission distance, but also on the signal frequency. As a result, the useful bandwidth decreases with distance, a feature not normally present in terrestrial radio networks. This fact motivates the use of multihop communications in an acoustic network, and strongly influences its design, since the same set of protocols will exhibit different performance when operating in a different frequency range. Multihop transmission is considered for large area coverage in acoustic networks, with an eye towards efficient power and bandwidth allocation. Power control is used as a practical means of optimizing the overall performance across the physical, medium access control (MAC) and routing layers. A geographic routing technique, called the focused beam routing (FBR), which requires each node to know only its own location and that of the final destination, is coupled with the distance aware collision avoidance protocol, which regulates the channel access. Results show that the average energy per bit consumption is reduced by adjusting the power, center frequency, and bandwidth in accordance with the network node density. Specifically, as the density increases, greater bandwidths offer per-hop energy reduction as well as a reduced packet collision rate.

In this paper, frequency and time correlation of the underwater channel are exploited to obtain a low-complexity adaptive channel estimation algorithm for multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) spatial multiplexing of independent data streams. The algorithm is coupled with nonuniform Doppler prediction and tracking, which enable decision-directed operation and reduces the overhead. Performance is demonstrated on experimental data recorded in several shallow-water channels over distances on the order of 1 km. Nearly error-free performance is observed for two and four transmitters with BCH(64,10) encoded quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) signals. With a 24-kHz bandwidth, overall data rates of up to 23 kb/s after coding were achieved with 2048 carriers. Good results have also been observed in two other experiments with varying MIMO-OFDM (orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing) configurations.

In resource limited, large scale underwater sensor networks, cooperative communication over multiple hops offers opportunities to save power. Intermediate nodes between source and destination act as cooperative relays. Herein, protocols coupled with space-time block code (STBC) strategies are proposed and analyzed for distributed cooperative communication. Amplify-and-forward-type protocols are considered, in which intermediate relays do not attempt to decode the information. The Alamouti-based cooperative scheme proposed by Hua (2003) for flat-fading channels is generalized to work in the presence of multipath, thus addressing a main characteristic of underwater acoustic channels. A time-reversal distributed space-time block code (TR-DSTBC) is proposed, which extends the dual-antenna TR-STBC (time-reversal space-time block code) approach from Lindskog and Paulraj (2000) to a cooperative communication scenario for signaling in multipath. It is first shown that, just as in the dual-antenna STBC case, TR along with the orthogonality of the DSTBC essentially allows for decoupling of the vector intersymbol interference (ISI) detection problem into separate scalar problems, and thus yields strong performance (compared with single-hop communication) and with substantially reduced complexity over nonorthogonal schemes. Furthermore, a performance analysis of the proposed scheme is carried out to provide insight on the performance gains, which are further confirmed via numerical results based on computer simulations and field data experiments.

Motivated by finding reduced complexity versions of the maximum-likelihood (ML) detector for highly distorted underwater channels, a multiuser detection (MUD) algorithm for joint data detection and channel estimation based on the cyclic coordinate descent method is proposed. Assuming that the data symbols are available, they are used to estimate the channel responses, which, in turn, are used to refine the symbol estimates. Adaptive estimation is performed using minimum mean square error as the overall optimization criterion. The receiver is implemented in a multichannel configuration, which provides the array processing gain necessary for many of the underwater acoustic channels. The complexity of the detection algorithm is linear in the number of receive elements and it does not depend on the modulation level of the transmitted signals. The algorithm has been tested using real data obtained over a 2-km shallow-water channel in a 20-kHz band, demonstrating good results.

The design of a cellular underwater network is addressed from the viewpoint of determining the cell size and the frequency reuse pattern needed to support a desired number of users operating over a given area within a given system bandwidth. By taking into account the basic laws of underwater acoustic propagation, it is shown that unlike in the terrestrial radio systems, both the cell radius R and the reuse number N must satisfy a set of constraints to constitute an admissible solution (which sometimes may not exist). The region of admissible (R,N) , which defines the possible network topologies, is determined by the user density and the system bandwidth (rho,B) , and by the required signal-to-interference ratio and per-user bandwidth (SIR0,W 0) . The system capacity is defined as the maximal user density rhomax that can be supported within a given bandwidth, and it is derived analytically. Numerical examples are used to illustrate the results. It is shown that capacity-achieving architectures are characterized by N, which grows with rhomax. The capacity, as well as the range of admissible solutions, is heavily influenced by the choice of frequency region to which the bandwidth is allocated. Moving to a higher frequency region than that dictated by signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) maximization improves the SIR and yields a greater capacity. Although higher frequencies demand greater transmission power to span the same distance, they also imply a reduction in the cell size, which, in turn, provides an overall reduction in the transmission power. While complex relationships are involved in system optimization, the analysis presented offers a simple tool for the design of future ocean observation systems based on cellular types of network architecture for wide area coverage.

Underwater acoustic (UWA) channels are wideband in nature due to the small ratio of the carrier frequency to the signal bandwidth, which introduces frequency-dependent Doppler shifts. In this paper, we treat the channel as having a common Doppler scaling factor on all propagation paths, and propose a two-step approach to mitigating the Doppler effect: 1) nonuniform Doppler compensation via resampling that converts a "wideband" problem into a "narrowband" problem and 2) high-resolution uniform compensation of the residual Doppler. We focus on zero-padded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) to minimize the transmission power. Null subcarriers are used to facilitate Doppler compensation, and pilot subcarriers are used for channel estimation. The receiver is based on block-by-block processing, and does not rely on channel dependence across OFDM blocks; thus, it is suitable for fast-varying UWA channels. The data from two shallow-water experiments near Woods Hole, MA, are used to demonstrate the receiver performance. Excellent performance results are obtained even when the transmitter and the receiver are moving at a relative speed of up to 10 kn, at which the Doppler shifts are greater than the OFDM subcarrier spacing. These results suggest that OFDM is a viable option for high-rate communications over wideband UWA channels with nonuniform Doppler shifts.

Direct-sequence (DS) code-division multiple access (CDMA) is considered for future wideband mobile underwater acoustic networks, where a typical configuration may include several autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) operating within a few kilometers of a central receiver. Two receivers that utilize multichannel (array) processing of asynchronous multiuser signals are proposed: the symbol decision feedback (SDF) receiver and the chip hypothesis feedback (CHF) receiver. Both receivers use a chip-resolution adaptive front end consisting of a many-to-few combiner and a bank of fractionally-spaced feedforward equalizers. In the SDF receiver, feedback equalization is implemented at symbol resolution, and receiver filters, including a decision-directed phase-locked loop, are adapted at the symbol rate. This limits its applicability to the channels whose time variation is slow compared to the symbol rate. In a wideband acoustic system, which transmits at maximal chip rate, the symbol rate is down-scaled by the spreading factor, and an inverse effect may occur by which increasing the spreading factor results in performance degradation. To eliminate this effect, feedback equalization, which is necessary for the majority of acoustic channels, is performed in the CHF receiver at chip resolution and receiver parameters are adjusted at the chip rate. At the price of increased computational complexity (there are as many adaptive filters as there are symbol values), this receiver provides improved performance for systems where time variation cannot be neglected with respect to the symbol rate [e.g., low probability of detection (LPD) acoustic systems]. Performance of the two receivers was demonstrated in a four-user scenario, using experimental data obtained over a 2-km shallow-water channel. At the chip rate of 19.2 kilochips per second (kc/s) with quaternary phase-shift keying (QPSK) modulation, excellent results were achieved at an aggregate data rate of up to 10 kb/s

Multiuser underwater acoustic communication is one of the enabling technologies for the autonomous ocean-sampling network (AOSN). Multiuser communication allows vehicles, moorings, and bottom instruments to interact without human intervention to perform adaptive sampling tasks. In addition, multiuser communication may be used to send data from many autonomous users to one buoy with RF communications capability, which will then forward the information to shore. The two major signaling techniques for multiuser acoustic communication are phase-shift keying (PSK) direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) and frequency-shift keying (FSK) frequency-hopped spread-spectrum (FHSS). Selecting between these two techniques requires not only a study of their performance under multiuser conditions, but also an analysis of the impact of the underwater acoustic channel. In the case of DSSS, limitations in temporal coherence of the channel affect the maximum spreading factor, leading to situations that may be better suited to FHSS signals. Conversely, the multipath resolving properties of DSSS minimize the effects of frequency-selective fading that degrade the performance of FSK modulation. Two direct-sequence receivers potentially suitable for the underwater channel are presented. The first utilizes standard despreading followed by decision-directed gain and phase tracking. The second uses chip-rate adaptive filtering and phase tracking prior to despreading. Results from shallow water testing in two different scenarios are presented to illustrate the techniques and their performance.

With the advances in acoustic modem technology that enabled high-rate reliable communications, current research focuses on communication between various remote instruments within a network environment. Underwater acoustic (UWA) networks are generally formed by acoustically connected ocean-bottom sensors, autonomous underwater vehicles, and a surface station, which provides a link to an on-shore control center. While many applications require long-term monitoring of the deployment area, the battery-powered network nodes limit the lifetime of UWA networks. In addition, shallow-water acoustic channel characteristics, such as low available bandwidth, highly varying multipath, and large propagation delays, restrict the efficiency of UWA networks. Within such an environment, designing an UWA network that maximizes throughput and reliability while minimizing the power consumption becomes a very difficult task. The goal of this paper is to survey the existing network technology and its applicability to underwater acoustic channels. In addition, we present a shallow-water acoustic network example and outline some future research directions.

The special issue showcases selected papers arising out of the Underwater Communications and Networking Conference held in Sestri Levante, Italy, September 3–5, 2014 (UComms14), second in a series of focused meetings intended to bring the best in the field together to present, discuss, and review the state of the art. Major topics span from physical-layer issues to higher layer considerations such as adaptive power strategies and scheduling to optimize channel throughput, clock synchronisation, and network simulation using physical-layer replay.

In recent years, underwater acoustic (UWA) communications have received much attention as their applications have begun to shift from military toward commercial. Digital communications through UWA channels differ substantially from those in other media, such as radio channels, due to severe signal degradations caused by multipath propagation and high temporal and spatial variability of the channel conditions. The design of underwater acoustic communication systems has until recently relied on the use of noncoherent modulation techniques. However, to achieve high data rates on the severely band-limited UWA channels, bandwidth-efficient modulation techniques must be considered, together with array processing for exploitation of spatial multipath diversity. The new generation of underwater communication systems, employing phase-coherent modulation techniques, has a potential of achieving at least an order of magnitude increase in data throughput. The emerging communication scenario in which the modern underwater acoustic systems mill operate is that of an underwater network consisting of stationary and mobile nodes. Current research focuses on the development of efficient signal processing algorithms, multiuser communications in the presence of interference, and design of efficient modulation and coding schemes. This paper presents a review of recent results and research problems in high-speed underwater acoustic communications, focusing on the bandwidth-efficient phase-coherent methods. Experimental results are included to illustrate the state-of-the-art coherent detection of digital signals transmitted at 30 and 40 kb/s through a rapidly varying one-mile shallow water channel.

High-throughout multiple-access communication networks are being considered for use in underwater acoustic channels. Bandwidth limitations of underwater acoustic channels require receivers to process broad-band communications signals in the presence of several active users. To deal with the resulting multiple-access interference in addition to high intersymbol interference, the spatial variability of ocean multipath is exploited in a multichannel multiuser receiver. Two configurations of such a receiver, a centralized and a decentralized one, are presented in fully adaptive modes of operations. While greatly reducing intersymbol and multiple-access interference, spatial diversity implies high increase in adaptive multiuser receiver complexity. To reduce the complexity of the optimal multichannel combiner, spatial structure of multipath is exploited. The complexity of resulting adaptive decentralized multichannel multiuser receiver is reduced at almost no cost in performance. Comparison of proposed multichannel receivers in an experimental shallow water channel demonstrates superior performance of spatial signal combining. The use of multiple input channels is shown to provide high level of tolerance for the near-far effect in both centralized and decentralized receivers. Decentralized receiver with reduced-complexity combining is found to satisfy the performance/complexity trade-off required for practical receiver realization in shallow water networks.

In this paper, we investigate the effect of packet size selection on the performance of media access control (MAC) protocols for underwater wireless sensor networks, namely, carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) and the distance-aware collision avoidance protocol (DACAP). Our comparative analysis, conducted via ns-2 simulations, considers scenarios with varying, nonzero bit error rate (BER) and interference. We investigate metrics such as throughput efficiency (the ratio between the delivered bit rate and the offered bit rate), end-to-end packet latency, measured “per meter” to allow for different sizes of deployment areas, and the energy consumed to correctly deliver an information bit to the network collection point. Our results show the dependence of these metrics on the packet size, indicating the existence of an optimum. The optimum packet size is found to depend on the protocol characteristics, the bit rate, and the BER. For each protocol and scenario considered, we determine the packet size that optimizes throughput performance, and we show its effect on the normalized packet latency and on energy consumption.

High-speed phase coherent communications in the ocean channel are made difficult by the combined effects of large Doppler fluctuations and extended, time-varying multipath. In order to account for these effects, we consider a receiver which performs optimal phase synchronization and channel equalization jointly. Since the intersymbol interference in some underwater acoustic channels spans several tens of symbol intervals, making the optimal maximum-likelihood receiver unacceptably complex, we use a suboptimal, but low complexity, decision feedback equalizer. The mean squared error multiparameter optimization results in an adaptive algorithm which is a combination of recursive least squares and second-order digital phase and delay-locked loops. The use of a fractionally spaced equalizer eliminates the need for explicit symbol delay tracking. The proposed algorithm is applied to experimental data from three types of underwater acoustic channels: long-range deep water, long-range shallow water, and short-range shallow water channels. The modulation techniques used are 4- and 8-PSK. The results indicate the feasibility of achieving power-efficient communications in these channels and demonstrate the ability to coherently combine multiple arrivals, thus exploiting the diversity inherent in multipath propagation. >