Wind is the primary cause of wave development. It puts initial stress on the water surface and creates capillary waves, which start the process of transferring energy from the air to the water.
Waves have three main characteristics:
Waves are also characterized by their steepness. This is defined as wave height divided by wavelength (S = H/L). So, a steep wave can either have a high wave height or short wave length.
Applying the formula S = H/L, a large height divided by a short length yields high steepness.