ABSTRACT. This article reviews the most recent observational results on disk-halo interactions in nearby galaxies. The implications of these results on our understanding of the structure of the interstellar medium (ISM) in our Galaxy and external spiral galaxies, with particular emphasis on the halo ISM, are discussed. Disk-halo interactions occur only above the brightest HII regions, which are found almost exclusively in late-type spirals and dwarf and irregular galaxies. Circumnuclear starbursts are the most energetic flavor of this phenomenon. The existence, the shapes, and the properties of gaseous halos depend on the level of energy input into the disk ISM per unit surface area, i.e., on the feedback of mass, momentum, and energy produced by vigorous star formation. Thus, current theoretical models of the ISM take into account that gaseous halos are natural extensions of disk ISMs and are heated by the winds and ionizing radiation of massive stars, and by the shock waves of Supernovae and their remnants. Observationally, this is reflected by the fact that all phases of the ISM known to exist in galaxy disks have also been detected in halos. Disk-halo interactions are a very effective way of redistributing energy, metals, and magnetic fields in galaxies and of expelling them into intergalactic space when outflows reach escape velocity.
MOTIVATION AND OUTLINESpiral galaxies consist of three spatially and dynamically dinstinct components, namely bulge, disk, and halo. Of these, the central bulge consists primarily of old stars and has a low gas fraction. The disk and halo consist of stars plus gas, dust, and in many cases "dark matter." Here I want to concentrate on the interstellar medium (ISM) in the disks and halos of galaxies, with emphasis on late-type spirals. Massive dark halos will not be described (see, e.g., Ashman 1992; Holt and Bennett 1995). In the current context "latetype" stands for disk-dominated spirals with rather inconspicuous bulges (Hubble types Sb -Sdm). The ISM of elliptical galaxies and early-type spirals (S0-Sab) will also not be presented here (cf. Walsh et al. 1989;and Fabbiano 1989).Studies of the ISM contribute significantly to our understanding of the structure, kinematics, and evolution of galaxies. The level of star formation (SF), its spatial distribution, and its temporal changes depend strongly on the properties of the interstellar gas from which stars can form. Stars feed energy and metal-enriched matter back into the ambient medium via stellar winds and supernovae (SNe), thereby distributing processed material throughout the ISM. Hence, through this gas-star-gas cycle, the ISM becomes a mediator of SF.In Sec. 2, the different phases of the ISM in galaxies will be introduced, and Sec. 3 presents observations of the ISM in the Milky Way. Section 4 will show that the Galactic ISM is l A\\ correspondence should be directed to this address. not confined to the thin disk, but extends to high distances (z) above the plane, forming a gaseous halo. However, being located within the...