ASKAP and MeerKAT surveys of the Magellanic Clouds
  The Magellanic Clouds are a stepping stone from the overwhelming detail of
the Milky Way in which we are immersed, to the global characteristics of
galaxies both in the nearby and distant universe. They are interacting,
gas-rich dwarf galaxies of sub-solar metallicity, not unlike the building
blocks that assembled the large galaxies that dominate groups and clusters, and
representative of the conditions at the height of cosmic star formation. The
Square Kilometre Array (SKA) can make huge strides in understanding galactic
metabolism and the ecological processes that govern star formation, by
observations of the Magellanic Clouds and other, nearby Magellanic-type
irregular galaxies. Two programmes with SKA Pathfinders attempt to pave the
way: the approved Galactic ASKAP Spectral Line Survey (GASKAP) includes a deep
survey in HI and OH of the Magellanic Clouds, whilst MagiKAT is proposed to
perform more detailed studies of selected regions within the Magellanic Clouds
- also including Faraday rotation measurements and observations at higher
frequencies. These surveys also close the gap with the revolutionizing surveys
at far-IR wavelengths with the Spitzer Space Telescope and Herschel Space
Observatory.
