A new spectrum processing method for LIDAR measurements of the temperature
in the upper layer of water bodies, applied both in fresh water and seawate
r, is proposed and has been implemented experimentally under laboratory and
field conditions. The technique is based on detection of a centroid in til
e laser-induced Raman band of water stretching vibrations, which is shifted
to the Stokes range at a rate of 1 cm(-1) per 1 degreesC as the water temp
erature grows.