Relationships between wind and waves, Abbotts Lagoon, California

A series of observations on wind‐generated waves was made in Abbotts Lagoon, California, to define better the relationships between wind and wave characteristics on relatively small bodies of water of limited fetch. The experimental methods are described and a relationship between wave height and period as a function of fetch and wind speed is presented. Other information presented includes a relationship between wave steepness and wave age, wind gradients, and a typical frequency distribution of wave heights.