  A mechanistic theory of wind-wave interaction must rely on verifiable
assumptions and offer reproducible observable predictions. For decades, the
limited mechanistic grasp on the problem has motivated RANS and LES modeling
and has driven a vast empirical effort to describe the interaction in terms of
wave-induced modifications of standard statistical characteristics of the wind,
such as wind profile, kinetic energy balance or exchange coefficients. Because
the mechanistic, empirical and numerical approaches are all concerned with the
same phenomenon occurring in the same media, consistency here requires that the
assumptions on which the approaches rest and the predictions they generate are
compatible with each other and supported by measurements. Recent findings from
theoretical analysis and field experiments advanced the understanding of the
statistical and dynamic patterns of the wave-coherent flow, which is at the
core of the mechanistic description of the wind-wave exchange. The progress
prompts reexamining of earlier concepts, efforts and findings to evaluate their
suitability, validity and usefulness. For the purpose, this survey traces the
development of ideas, methods and results in the study of the wind wave
generation.
