The Antarctic Regional Interactions Meteorology Experiment (RIME), a basic and applied research program, will explore in detail the atmospheric processes over Antarctica and their interactions with lower latitudes via the Ross Sea sector, as a prerequisite to exploring the role of Antarctica in global climate variations. Local and regional measurements made during the austral summers of 2006/07, 2007/08, and 2008/09 (spanning the International Polar Year) will be complemented by an extensive numerical modeling effort to accurately simulate and understand transports of heat, water vapor, momentum and mass to and from Antarctica along with their modification by the topographic and mesoscale processes. Aircraft campaigns will be the primary regional measurement tool while ground-based measurements and remote sensing approaches will be used to investigate the Antarctic-specific processes at a field camp about 90 km to the east of McMurdo Station on Ross Island. An immediate outcome will be improved weather forecasting is support of the U.S. Antarctic Program. Strong international collaborations will be a hallmark of Antarctic RIME that will span June 2003 to June 2012.