In March 1981, detailed meteorological observations were made at the marginal ice zone in the Bering Sea during a period of northerly winds. A 20% increase in wind speed from 90 km inside the edge to 90 km over the ocean was observed. The temperature increased from -11¿C to -5¿C, and the boundary layer height over the ocean increased from 450 m to 600 m. Data support the concept of a diverging (accelerating) flow. A simple integrated slab model of the atmospheric boundary layer which includes the effects of clouds, surface heat flux, and radiative cooling is applied to the conditions of the marginal ice zone. The model shows that most of the observed variation in the marginal ice zone can be explained by drag variation over the ice and heat flux over the open ocean. Heat flux in the marginal ice zone and cloud processes affect the results only slightly.