Abstract: A method for achieving thermal compensation of a microbend sensor used in a fiber optic system and exposed to a thermal environment comprises providing a length of optical fiber and a light source at the optical fiber for passing light through the fiber. A detector is provided at the optical fiber for detecting the light passed through the fiber. A section of the fiber is split for establishing an active leg and a reference leg. An active microbend sensor is provided on the active leg in a thermal environment for producing an active signal; and a reference microbend sensor is provided on the reference leg in the thermal environment near the active sensor for producing a reference signal. The active signal and the reference signal are then detected and a compensation for the active sensor is determined based on the active signal and the reference signal.