The purpose of this paper is to introduce and survey the current state -of-the -art of remote sensing of the fundamental oceanographic physical parameters, i.e., temperature, salinity, density, and sound speed. Profiles of such parameters are the basic scientific and engineering data that are needed by the oceanographic community for many purposes, especially when available for mapping large areas of the ocean on a real -time or synoptic basis.Significant research efforts have been devoted to the development of laser radar remote sensing methods that employ either Raman or Brillouin scattering. The two techniques differ significantly both in the physical principles involved and the system components needed for each, as well as the applications areas for which each appears to be best suited. This paper will address the following topics: (1) the physical principles of the Raman and Brillouin methods; (2) experimental results that have been achieved; (3) the limiting interferences and noise sources; (4) performance and sensitivity limits; and (5) critical technology areas.

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