A sensing structure consisting of an abrupt taper spliced uniformly in to a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is proposed and experimentally demonstrates refractive index (RI) and temperature measurements. Cladding modes are generated in the fiber through the abrupt taper containing the FBG. Most modes are reflected by the FBG at shorter wavelengths and reenter the launch fiber after passing through the abrupt taper. Spectral integrals are used to measure the power generated by the cladding and core modes. A sensitivity of -83.97 nW/RIU for ambient RI and a temperature sensitivity of 10 pm/C are obtained. No crosssensitivity problems exist between ambient RI and temperature measurement.