Distributed Scheduling and Routing in Underwater Wireless Networks

Several underwater network characteristics, including long propagation delays and a bandwidth dependent on distance, provide unique challenges to protocol designers. In this paper we present STUMP-WR, a distributed routing and channel scheduling protocol, designed for heavily loaded underwater networks. STUMP-WR selects and schedules links using a distributed algorithm to overlap communications by leveraging the long propagation delays. Through simulation we show that STUMP-WR outperforms previously proposed channel access protocols for underwater networks by achieving higher throughput and lower energy consumption per bit delivered at nearly all traffic rates. We also determine the effect of using CDMA on protocol operation.