Practical modeling of radio wave propagation in shallow seawater

With the advances in spectrally efficient communication techniques established in over-the-air wireless networks for ultra-low SNR links, underwater RF communications using electromagnetic (EM) wave propagation deserves another look. This paper addresses challenges involved in underwater EM wave propagation and reviews the principles using simulated data corroborated with independent measurements in seawater. It is shown that an RF signal can be transmitted in 1–5 MHz frequency range over distances up to 100 m as an EM wave along the air-water interface.