Measurement-Based Improved Two-Ray Model for Maritime Scenarios

The ocean covers 71% of the global surface, making the study of maritime communication critical for achieving global coverage in 6G communications. Large-scale path loss characteristics play a pivotal role in the study of communication coverage. In this paper, we conduct channel detection experiments for sea-to-sea and sea-to-shore communications at 3.2GHz and propose an improved two-ray path loss model. The model accounts for the effects of seawater electrolytes on electromagnetic wave propagation and fully considers the rough reflections caused by sea surface fluctuations. Utilizing the Fresnel zone, we define the applicability of the two-ray model. The paper focuses on the influence of sea surface reflection, modeling the reflection path's coefficient as the product of the specular reflection coefficient and sea surface smoothness. Considering factors such as antenna height, distance, temperature and salinity, we derive the specular reflection coefficient using the Debye model and represent the rough reflection with the Rayleigh parameter. The good fit between the measured channel data and the two-ray model demonstrates that the proposed model effectively characterizes path loss in maritime environments.