A shallow liquid surface‐wave analogy to turbulence‐induced sound was utilized to investigate the mechanisms of noise generation and propagation in jets. Theoretical analysis was used to determine the wave‐power dependence on Mach number and to derive the relationship between wave and turbulence spectra. The experimental investigation utilized a 24 ft2mercury ripple tank. The waves were produced by the turbulence in a mercury jet exhausting into the tank. The results substantiate the validity of the surface‐wave analogy as a jet‐noise simulator. Measurement of mean and turbulent velocity profiles proved that the jet development was similar to the theoretical plane‐free jet. Farfield measurements of wave power, directivity, and spectra compared favorably with the acoustic case. However, the wave spectra showed little of the higher‐frequency content found with the turbulence spectra. This difference was attributed to the vertical spatial integration of the turbulence‐source terms, which is not found in jet noise.