Routing protocols for underwater wireless sensor networks based on data forwarding: a review

Abstract

Nowadays, underwater wireless sensor network (UWSN) is an important field for researchers due to its well know applications like seismic monitoring, disaster prevention, offshore exploration, pollution monitoring, oceanography data collection, equipment monitoring, assisted navigation, and tactical surveillance. Many research challenges are available for UWSN; the design of routing protocol is one of them. The majority of the researchers have designed the routing algorithms but still, the data forwarding mechanism needs improvement. The reliable communication between the source and sink nodes is really a complicated task due to the limitation of the acoustic channel, water pressure, and limited bandwidth. This review paper focuses on the problems of those routing protocols which are based on data forwarding. In this review paper, we further present the route development, data forwarding, and route maintenance of the proposed routing protocols. The key aspects of this review article present the limitations and advantages of data forwarding routing protocols. We also present analysis of data forwarding routing protocols with analytical and numerical simulation methods with their critical analysis. This review article helps the researchers to create further research in the field of routing protocols based on data forwarding.