Robust channel parameter estimation for underwater OFDM in a composite noise environment

This work introduces a novel design for signaling parameters and pilot placement to enhance the robustness of underwater orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communications in the presence of strong composite noise. The innovative design facilitates high-resolution estimation of various channel parameters essential for successful symbol recovery. Receiver processing algorithms are developed that exploit unique properties of the received signal, which remain valid despite the complex channel and noise effects. These algorithms are efficient, as they reuse the same set of pilot symbols for multiple estimation tasks that typically require separate sets of pilots. They are also highly effective, significantly mitigating the impact of composite noise. The performance of these algorithms is thoroughly evaluated through extensive simulations.