# Recent Progress on Underwater Wireless Communication Methods and Applications
## 5 Conclusions  
The rapid advancements in underwater wireless communication technologies are key to addressing the increasing demands of marine research, environmental monitoring, and underwater resource exploitation. This paper has reviewed the three primary communication methods--underwater acoustic communication, RF communication, and UWOC--each offering distinct advantages and limitations. Underwater acoustic communication, despite its long-range capabilities, struggles with noise interference and low data rates, especially in deeper and more complex marine environments. RF communication excels in short-range, high-speed applications but is severely impacted by seawater's high conductivity, limiting its use in deep or high-conductivity environments. UWOC offers high data rates and low latency, making it a promising technology for medium-range communication, though it is still affected by challenges such as light attenuation and water turbidity.  
Recent innovations, such as hybrid communication systems combining acoustic, optical, and RF technologies, have shown great potential for overcoming the limitations of individual methods. Additionally, bio-inspired communication techniques, including underwater electric field communication, are emerging as low-power, robust solutions, particularly in murky water conditions. These hybrid systems and bio-inspired methods are paving the way for more reliable, high-speed underwater communication networks.  
The future of underwater communication systems will likely focus on the integration of multiple communication technologies and the development of intelligent algorithms to dynamically select the most appropriate communication mode based on real-time environmental conditions. Furthermore, advancements in energy-efficient designs and sustainable technologies, such as energy harvesting from underwater currents, will be crucial for supporting long-term, autonomous operations of underwater devices. The continued evolution of these technologies will enable breakthroughs in marine ecosystem monitoring, deep-sea exploration, and disaster response.  
As underwater wireless communication systems continue to advance, the integration of ML, artificial intelligence, and adaptive algorithms will play an essential role in improving system performance, optimizing resource allocation, and ensuring sustainable operation. Ultimately, these innovations will help revolutionize the way we explore and interact with the ocean, fostering global marine stewardship and facilitating technological advancements in the field of underwater communication.  
Conceptualization, K.S. and Z.L.; investigation, Z.L.; resources, W.L.; data curation, Z.L.; writing--original draft preparation, Z.L. and K.S.; writing--review and editing, W.C., D.F. and W.L.; visualization, Z.L.; supervision, W.L. and W.C.; project administration, W.C. and D.F.; funding acquisition, W.L., W.C. and D.F. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research was funded by the Scientific Research Funding Project of Westlake University, grant number WU2024A001 and the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52401393).  
The funding is donated by [PERSON], the president of Dingheng Shipping Technology Co., Ltd.  
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.