An experiment was conducted in a shallow water region of the Mediterranean Sea to study wind‐generated noise. In addition to measuring the noise field, propagation‐loss data were collected and used in a detailed modeling of the environment. The environmental information was then used as input to a noise model based on wave theory that computes the noise field in the water column for a given (unknown) source strength. By comparing model predictions with data, the influence of the environment on recorded noise levels could be removed and a measure of the noise source spectrum levels obtained as a function of wind speed. It was found that noise levels correlate better with wind speed than with wave height. In addition it was found that the nearfield contribution dominates the noise level, with the result of producing virtually constant noise intensity over depth from moderate to high wind speeds and frequencies above 200 Hz.