中文摘要：

随着世界各国对海洋权益的日益重视、发展海洋经济热潮的兴起和陆地无线传感器网络研究的迅速发展，水下无线传感器网络的研究已经成为新的研究热点．首先对水下传感器网络通信技术、传感器网络节点、网络体系结构和水下声学传播特征作了介绍；进而重点对物理层、数据链路层、网络层、传输层、跨层设计、网络信息处理技术、水下定位和仿真平台8个方面的研究进展作了系统的综述；最后介绍了国内外主要研究机构的情况，并讨论了水下无线传感器网络研究存在的一些问题和需要进一步研究的方向．

英文摘要：

With the emphasis on effective safeguarding of the national marine rights and interests, the upsurge in marine economic development and the significant progress in wireless sensor networks, underwater sensor networks have become a new hot research area. Underwater sensor networks are deployed to perform collaborative tasks such as oceanographic data collection, pollution monitoring, offshore exploration, disaster prevention, assisted navigation, and tactical surveillance. Underwater sensor networks use acoustic signals to communicate with each other, thus the propagation delay is large due to the slow acoustic signal propagation speed. Underwater acoustic communication channel has limited bandwidth capacity because of the significant frequency and distance dependent attenuation. The harsh Underwater channel also has high bit error rates. Thus, some new algorithms need designing for underwater sensor networks..An overview of underwater wireless communication technologies, the design of communication hardware, the underwater network, architecture and the characteristics of underwater communication channels are introduced firstly. Then given is a more detailed description of eight important research topics, acoustic modulation, medium access control, routing protocols, transport protocols, cross-layer design, networks information processing, localization techniques and simulation environments. Research organizations on underwater sensor networks are also introduced. Finally presented are present problems encountered in current research and future research directions in this exciting and emerging research area.