Scalability Analysis of Underwater Wireless Sensor Network by Benchmark Routing Protocols

Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) play an important role in many ocean communication systems due to their ability to monitor real-time data in a timely and cost-effective way. In order to ensure reliable communication in an UWSN, efficient routing protocols are essential. This paper focuses on the study of different benchmark routing protocols for UWSN to evaluate the performance in terms of throughput, latency and energy efficiency. The protocols chosen for study include the traditional Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols and the state-of-the-art UWSN algorithms such as Underwater Greedy Forwarding (UGF), Underwater Centric routing Protocol (UCRP), and Tone-based Classified Routing (TCR). Results from extensive simulation show that TCR provides the best performance in terms of throughput, latency and energy efficiency. In addition, the energy efficiency of TCR is higher than that of UGF and UCRP. This study provides a benchmark and a point of reference for further development of UWSN routing protocols.