Various results obtained at the Institut de Mecanique Statistique de la Turbulence wind-water facility, where small-scale dynamic and thermodynamic air-sea exchange processes can be partially simulated, during the past 10 years are reviewed in the light of present ideas on ocean-atmosphere interactions. The object here is to draw conclusions on both the validity and the usefulness of such laboratory studies. Large- and small-scale turbulent velocity and temperature fields exhibit good similarity and general agreement with surface layer observations but also exhibit interesting departures from local isotropy. The spectral characteristics of waves in the laboratory are quite similar to short-fetch field data. An inherently nonlinear ''dominant wave'' is found to have a major influence upon properties and upon the dispersion relation of wind waves in the laboratory and in the field. Wind-wave coupling is observed and investigated through linear and nonlinear methods. Turbulent heat and mass transfer processes, studied through different techniques, show that evaporation rates and diffusive sublayer thickness compare well with other estimates. Observed density stratification effects can be interpreted in terms of the accepted description for atmospheric surface layer. These data as a whole demonstrate that laboratory studies on small-scales air-sea interaction mechanisms can provide an insight into the naturally occurring physical processes.