Toward Integrated Underwater Acoustic Sensing and Communication: An Experimental Study in a Shallow Water Channel

Abstract

The concept of underwater acoustic integrated sensing and communication (UWA-ISAC) has attracted notable interest from diverse marine fields. Although ISAC technology is well-developed in wireless scenarios, its practical application in underwater environments, particularly in hostile time-varying multipath channels, remains underexplored. This study introduces an experimental implementation of UWA-ISAC in a typical shallow water channel by proposing and evaluating a framework that integrates acoustic communication performance with environmental sensing capabilities under adverse conditions. Based on a ray-tracing derivation of a wind-driven UWA channel, which links environmental phenomena, such as wind speed, to communication factors including channel delay spread, an acoustic communication waveform and sensing approach is developed within the UWA-ISAC framework. This method enables the simultaneous acquisition of marine environmental parameters (wind speed) while maintaining coherent acoustic communication in a time-varying multipath shallow water channel. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed UWA-ISAC scheme, highlighting its potential to expand sensing services and provide valuable insights into marine environmental parameters.

Keywords

Integrated sensing and communication / Estuaries / Underwater acoustic communication / Environment sensing / Wind speed

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