Properties of the ISM - Gas in the halo

The properties of interstellar gas in the galactic halo are reviewed. Halo gas is found to have a wide range of physical conditions with temperatures ranging from less than 170 K to more than 200,000 K. The gas extending away from the plane of the Milky Way has density scale heights ranging from less than 300 pc for certain species in the neutral medium to approximately 3000 pc for the most highly ionized gas. The complex kinematical characteristics of the gas provides important clues about its origin. The gas phase elemental abundances in the neutral halo gas are closer to solar than is found for the highly depleted gas of the Milky Way disk. The possible origin of gas at large distances away from the galactic plane is discussed.