A Dependable Clustering Protocol for Survivable Underwater Sensor Networks

Node clustering has been widely considered in underwater sensor networks (UWSNs) to improve energy efficiency and prolong network lifetime. Network survivability is a great concern in cluster-based UWSNs. In this paper, we propose a dependable clustering protocol to provide a survivable cluster hierarchy against cluster-head failures in such networks. The proposed clustering protocol attempts to select a primary cluster head and a backup cluster head during clustering so that the cluster members associated with the failed cluster head can quickly switch over to the backup cluster head in the event of a cluster-head failure. Meanwhile, it attempts to select a set of clusters with minimum total cost so that network lifetime can be prolonged to ensure long-term underwater environmental monitoring. Simulation results show that the protocol can effectively enhance network survivability and improve network capacity in the event of cluster-head failures.