Experimental testbed for seawater channel characterization

TL;DR

This paper presents a measurement system for characterizing seawater channels for electromagnetic communication, revealing that magnetic loop antennas outperform dipoles in shallow seawater environments.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel measurement setup and provides detailed empirical data on electromagnetic wave attenuation in shallow seawater, challenging existing assumptions about dipole antenna performance.

Findings

Dipole antennas perform poorly in shallow seawater channels.

Magnetic loop antennas yield more reliable communication results.

Measured attenuation closely matches simulation data.

Abstract

Shallow seawaters are problematic for acoustic and optical communications. Sensor networks based on electromagnetic (EM) communications are evaluated in this environment. In order to characterize the subaquatic channel, several measurement systems have been designed, built and tested in the sea obtaining very reliable results. Experiments carried out with dipoles and loop antennas showed serious disagreement with the state of the art, especially when dipole antennas are used. Dipoles performance was poor while magnetic loops showed relevant results. Measurement system is described in detail and real attenuation of the subaquatic channel is obtained for several distances and antennas. Finally, measured and simulated results are compared with good agreement.