The dominant nonlinear wave interaction in the energy balance of a wind-driven sea

Here some aspects of the physics of a wind-driven sea are investigated theoretically. It is demonstrated that an effective four-wave nonlinear interaction plays a leading role in the formation of the spectra of turbulent waves. In particular, this interaction leads to non-linear damping which exceeds standard observations at least by an order of magnitude. The theory developed here is compared with available experimental data.