AI-Driven Adaptive Communications for Energy-Efficient Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

Underwater acoustic sensor networks, crucial for marine monitoring, face significant challenges, including limited bandwidth, high delay, and severe energy constraints. Addressing these limitations requires an energy-efficient design to ensure network survivability, reliability, and reduced operatio...

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Main Authors: A. Ur Rehman, Laura Galluccio, Giacomo Morabito
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/12/3729
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author A. Ur Rehman
Laura Galluccio
Giacomo Morabito
author_facet A. Ur Rehman
Laura Galluccio
Giacomo Morabito
author_sort A. Ur Rehman
collection DOAJ
description Underwater acoustic sensor networks, crucial for marine monitoring, face significant challenges, including limited bandwidth, high delay, and severe energy constraints. Addressing these limitations requires an energy-efficient design to ensure network survivability, reliability, and reduced operational costs. This paper proposes an artificial intelligence-driven framework aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and sustainability in applications of marine wildlife monitoring in underwater sensor networks, according to the vision of implementing an underwater acoustic sensor network. The framework integrates intelligent computing directly into underwater sensor nodes, employing lightweight AI models to locally classify marine species. Transmitting only classification results, instead of raw data, significantly reduces data volume, thus conserving energy. Additionally, a software-defined radio methodology dynamically adapts transmission parameters such as modulation schemes, packet length, and transmission power to further minimize energy consumption and environmental disruption. GNU Radio simulations evaluate the framework effectiveness using metrics like energy consumption, bit error rate, throughput, and delay. Adaptive transmission strategies implicitly ensure reduced energy usage as compared to non-adaptive transmission solutions employing fixed communication parameters. The results illustrate the framework ability to effectively balance energy efficiency, performance, and ecological impact. This research contributes directly to ongoing development in sustainable and energy-efficient underwater wireless sensor network design and deployment.
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spelling doaj-art-206924916f5044c6844ebcb645ab42e92025-08-20T03:29:43ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202025-06-012512372910.3390/s25123729AI-Driven Adaptive Communications for Energy-Efficient Underwater Acoustic Sensor NetworksA. Ur Rehman0Laura Galluccio1Giacomo Morabito2Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica Elettronica e Informatica (DIEEI), University of Catania & CNIT, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica Elettronica e Informatica (DIEEI), University of Catania & CNIT, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica Elettronica e Informatica (DIEEI), University of Catania & CNIT, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, ItalyUnderwater acoustic sensor networks, crucial for marine monitoring, face significant challenges, including limited bandwidth, high delay, and severe energy constraints. Addressing these limitations requires an energy-efficient design to ensure network survivability, reliability, and reduced operational costs. This paper proposes an artificial intelligence-driven framework aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and sustainability in applications of marine wildlife monitoring in underwater sensor networks, according to the vision of implementing an underwater acoustic sensor network. The framework integrates intelligent computing directly into underwater sensor nodes, employing lightweight AI models to locally classify marine species. Transmitting only classification results, instead of raw data, significantly reduces data volume, thus conserving energy. Additionally, a software-defined radio methodology dynamically adapts transmission parameters such as modulation schemes, packet length, and transmission power to further minimize energy consumption and environmental disruption. GNU Radio simulations evaluate the framework effectiveness using metrics like energy consumption, bit error rate, throughput, and delay. Adaptive transmission strategies implicitly ensure reduced energy usage as compared to non-adaptive transmission solutions employing fixed communication parameters. The results illustrate the framework ability to effectively balance energy efficiency, performance, and ecological impact. This research contributes directly to ongoing development in sustainable and energy-efficient underwater wireless sensor network design and deployment.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/12/3729underwater communicationsenergy efficiencyCNNsoftware-defined radio systemsenvironmental sustainability
spellingShingle A. Ur Rehman
Laura Galluccio
Giacomo Morabito
AI-Driven Adaptive Communications for Energy-Efficient Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks
Sensors
underwater communications
energy efficiency
CNN
software-defined radio systems
environmental sustainability
title AI-Driven Adaptive Communications for Energy-Efficient Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks
title_full AI-Driven Adaptive Communications for Energy-Efficient Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks
title_fullStr AI-Driven Adaptive Communications for Energy-Efficient Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks
title_full_unstemmed AI-Driven Adaptive Communications for Energy-Efficient Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks
title_short AI-Driven Adaptive Communications for Energy-Efficient Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks
title_sort ai driven adaptive communications for energy efficient underwater acoustic sensor networks
topic underwater communications
energy efficiency
CNN
software-defined radio systems
environmental sustainability
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/12/3729
work_keys_str_mv AT aurrehman aidrivenadaptivecommunicationsforenergyefficientunderwateracousticsensornetworks
AT lauragalluccio aidrivenadaptivecommunicationsforenergyefficientunderwateracousticsensornetworks
AT giacomomorabito aidrivenadaptivecommunicationsforenergyefficientunderwateracousticsensornetworks