Experimental investigation on electromagnetic wave propagation across sea-to-air interface

Electromagnetic (EM) wave propagation across the conducting medium (seawater) into air is a promising technology and suspected issue in marine engineering field. In order to figure out the physical characteristics of wave propagation across the sea-to-air interface, a proof of concept measurement system is constructed and tested on the sea. The system consists of underwater transmitter, underwater loop antenna, ferrite loop antenna and receiver in air. A large amount of data about EM wave propagation across the sea-to-air interface are recorded and analyzed. Moreover, the relevant factors including locations and attitudes of the transmitter and receiver, and local noise level are taken into consideration in the experiment. In addition, experimental results match well with the theoretical calculations. Therefore, it is concluded that the experimental system is reliable, and the communication based on EM waves penetrating seawater into air is feasible and promising.