ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Commun. Netw.
Sec. IoT and Sensor Networks
A Walrus Optimization Algorithm (WOA) for cluster head selection to optimize energy-efficiency in UWSNs-based IoT
Provisionally accepted
Ramasubbareddy Somula1
Aditya Sai Srinivas T2
Swathi Sambangi3Gaddam A Sanjeeva Reddy4
Yongyun Cho5*Remya S6*- 1Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Hyderabad Campus, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), pune, India
- 2Department of CSE, Ravindra College of Engineering for Women, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh 518452, India., Kurnool, India
- 3Department of CSE (CYS DS AI&DS), Vallurupalli Nageswara Rao Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad,Telangana 500090, Hyderabad, India
- 4Department of ECE, K.S.R.M COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, YSR District, Andhra Pradesh, kadapa, India
- 5Sunchon National University, Suncheon, Republic of Korea
- 66Department of Computer Science and Applications, Amrita School of Computing, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, kerala, India
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The Internet of Things (IoT), which is one of the emerging technologies, has the potential to revolutionize smart ocean monitoring. Underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) equipped with sensors can facilitate the flow of intelligent data to various applications, including environmental monitoring, navigation, pollution surveillance, coastline protection, and military operations, among others. Energy becomes a critical resource in UWSNs because sensor batteries cannot be replaced. Due to battery limitations, sensors are typically resource-constrained. Energy conservation is critical in IoT to extend network lifetime. This is achieved by employing clustering techniques in UWSNs. In recent years, many studies have devised clustering protocols to conserve energy in networks. However, selecting a Cluster Head (CH) node takes considerable time. To address this, this research presents an effective method, a Walrus Optimization Algorithm (WOA)-based routing protocol, which enhances network lifetime and reduces energy consumption. The performance of the proposed algorithm (WOA) is evaluated in MATLAB 2019a and compared with ZFO-SHO, TIOCHR, and M-PSO, well-known nature-inspired algorithms. The proposed WOA has demonstrated observed improvement in the packet delivery ratio by approximately 7-10% and network lifetime by 10-15%, respectively. The results confirm that the suggested WOA improved energy efficiency within IoT-based UWSNs.
Keywords: Cluster head selection, clustering, IoT, optimize energy consumption, Underwater wireless sensor network, Walrus optimization algorithm
Received: 13 Jan 2026; Accepted: 06 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Somula, T, Sambangi, Sanjeeva Reddy, Cho and S. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yongyun Cho
Remya S
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