Galactic fountains and outflows in star forming dwarf galaxies: ISM
  expulsion and chemical enrichment
  We investigated the impact of supernova feedback in gas-rich dwarf galaxies
experiencing a low-to-moderate star formation rate, typical of relatively
quiescent phases between starbursts. We calculated the long term evolution of
the ISM and the metal-rich SN ejecta using 3D hydrodynamic simulations, in
which the feedback energy is deposited by SNeII exploding in distinct OB
associations. We found that a circulation flow similar to galactic fountains is
generally established, with some ISM lifted at heights of one to few kpc above
the galactic plane. This gas forms an extra-planar layer, which falls back to
the plane in about $10^8$ yr, once the star formation stops. Very little or no
ISM is expelled outside the galaxy system for the considered SFRs, even though
in the most powerful model the SN energy is comparable to the gas binding
energy. The metal-rich SN ejecta is instead more vulnerable to the feedback and
we found that a significant fraction (25-80\%) is vented in the intergalactic
medium, even for low SN rate ($7\times 10^{-5}$ - $7\times 10^{-4}$ yr$^{-1}$).
About half of the metals retained by the galaxy are located far ($z >$ 500 pc)
from the galactic plane. Moreover, our models indicate that the circulation of
the metal-rich gas out from and back to the galactic disk is not able to erase
the chemical gradients imprinted by the (centrally concentrated) SN explosions.
