diff --git a/doc/whats-new.rst b/doc/whats-new.rst
index 2e9d0e365a4..3d82ed9b466 100644
--- a/doc/whats-new.rst
+++ b/doc/whats-new.rst
@@ -29,6 +29,10 @@ Enhancements
 Bug fixes
 ~~~~~~~~~
 
+- Fixed open_dataarray does not pass properly its parameters to open_dataset
+  (:issue:`1359`).
+  `Stephan Hoyer <https://github.com/shoyer>`_.
+
 .. _whats-new.0.9.2:
 
 v0.9.2 (2 April, 2017)
diff --git a/xarray/backends/api.py b/xarray/backends/api.py
index f1dbcecd340..cb6eae38754 100644
--- a/xarray/backends/api.py
+++ b/xarray/backends/api.py
@@ -318,12 +318,8 @@ def maybe_decode_store(store, lock=False):
     return maybe_decode_store(store)
 
 
-def open_dataarray(filename_or_obj, group=None, decode_cf=True,
-                   mask_and_scale=True, decode_times=True,
-                   concat_characters=True, decode_coords=True, engine=None,
-                   chunks=None, lock=None, cache=None, drop_variables=None):
-    """
-    Opens an DataArray from a netCDF file containing a single data variable.
+def open_dataarray(*args, **kwargs):
+    """Open an DataArray from a netCDF file containing a single data variable.
 
     This is designed to read netCDF files with only one data variable. If
     multiple variables are present then a ValueError is raised.
@@ -353,6 +349,10 @@ def open_dataarray(filename_or_obj, group=None, decode_cf=True,
     decode_times : bool, optional
         If True, decode times encoded in the standard NetCDF datetime format
         into datetime objects. Otherwise, leave them encoded as numbers.
+    autoclose : bool, optional
+        If True, automatically close files to avoid OS Error of too many files
+        being open.  However, this option doesn't work with streams, e.g.,
+        BytesIO.
     concat_characters : bool, optional
         If True, concatenate along the last dimension of character arrays to
         form string arrays. Dimensions will only be concatenated over (and
@@ -400,10 +400,7 @@ def open_dataarray(filename_or_obj, group=None, decode_cf=True,
     --------
     open_dataset
     """
-    dataset = open_dataset(filename_or_obj, group, decode_cf,
-                           mask_and_scale, decode_times,
-                           concat_characters, decode_coords, engine,
-                           chunks, lock, cache, drop_variables)
+    dataset = open_dataset(*args, **kwargs)
 
     if len(dataset.data_vars) != 1:
         raise ValueError('Given file dataset contains more than one data '
diff --git a/xarray/tests/test_backends.py b/xarray/tests/test_backends.py
index 0e73b710663..e7a2dbd4381 100644
--- a/xarray/tests/test_backends.py
+++ b/xarray/tests/test_backends.py
@@ -1522,7 +1522,7 @@ def new_dataset_and_coord_attrs():
                 ds.to_netcdf(tmp_file)
 
 
-@requires_netCDF4
+@requires_scipy_or_netCDF4
 class TestDataArrayToNetCDF(TestCase):
 
     def test_dataarray_to_netcdf_no_name(self):
@@ -1554,3 +1554,14 @@ def test_dataarray_to_netcdf_coord_name_clash(self):
 
             with open_dataarray(tmp) as loaded_da:
                 self.assertDataArrayIdentical(original_da, loaded_da)
+
+    def test_open_dataarray_options(self):
+        data = DataArray(
+            np.arange(5), coords={'y': ('x', range(5))}, dims=['x'])
+
+        with create_tmp_file() as tmp:
+            data.to_netcdf(tmp)
+
+            expected = data.drop('y')
+            with open_dataarray(tmp, drop_variables=['y']) as loaded:
+                self.assertDataArrayIdentical(expected, loaded)