Data transmission algorithm for large scale underwater sensor networks

With the rapid development of underwater acoustic modem technology, underwater acoustic sensor networks (UWSNs) have more applications in long-term monitoring of the deployment area. However, the battery-powered network nodes limit the lifetime of UWSNs. Therefore, designing an UWSN with longer lifetime becomes a very significant task. Energy-balanced data propagation can prolong the lifetime of sensor networks by avoiding early energy depletion of nodes. This paper introduces a data transmission method which combines direct transmission and multi-hop transmission. During data transmission process, a node can decide the transmission mode by comparing its energy level with that of its adjacent node. In addition, an optimum EL for large scale UWSNs is introduced to minimize the additional energy consumption. The relationship between the network size and the communication distance is given to prolong the network lifetime. The claims are well supported by simulations.