The properties of the Interstellar Medium (ISM) strongly influence the environment and processes that lead to star-formation, which in turn, drives the evolution of a galaxy. Dwarf galaxies in the Local Group are perfect laboratories to investigate how the metal-poor ISM affects the interplay between gas, dust and stars. In this thesis, I investigate the properties of the HII regions and the diffuse ionized gas of the nearby dwarf galaxy IC10, which has a metallicity of 1/3 solar. Its proximity (d=700 kpc) enables the analysis on different spatial scales: from the compact clumps (~25 pc) to the whole star-forming body of the galaxy (~650pc). In order to measure the physical properties of the ISM, I model the infrared emission lines observed with Spitzer and Herschel with photoionization and photodissociation models. I present an extensive exploration of different methods to determine the most reliable ISM properties, based on the available constraints. I determined the properties of the brightest star-forming clumps within the galaxy and show that the emission at large scales (~300 pc) is dominated by that of the compact, bright clumps that lie within the region. I further demonstrate the need for a multi-component model to fully reproduce the observations.

New stars form in the dense turbulent gas clouds of galaxies, and the formation of these clouds is the subject of the IAU S237. This book is the most up-to-date review of all aspects of cloud and star formation, and one of the few compendiums available on ISM turbulence.

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