6th Earth and Space Final Spring 2026 - Weather and Natural Resources Flashcards

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering weather systems, energy resources, and scientific writing methods from the Earth and Space final study guide.

Weather front

A boundary where two different air masses meet.

Barometer

A tool used to measure air pressure.

Sleet

Precipitation consisting of frozen ice pellets.

High pressure system (H)

Represented by a capital ‘H’ on a weather map, it leads to clear, dry, or sunny weather.

Low pressure system (L)

Associated with cloudy or stormy weather because rising air cools and forms clouds.

Eye of a hurricane

The calm, low-wind center of a hurricane.

Equator heating

Water is warmer here because direct sunlight hits more intensely year-round.

Fossil fuels

Resources made from the remains of ancient plants and animals under heat and pressure over millions of years.

Renewable resource

A natural resource that can be replaced quickly, such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, or biomass.

Nonrenewable resource

A natural resource in limited supply that forms over a long time, such as oil, coal, nuclear, or natural gas.

Cold front

Occurs when cold air pushes warm air upward quickly, leading to storms, clouds forming quickly, and dropping temperatures.

Warm front

Occurs when warm air rises slowly over cold air, leading to steady rain.

Stationary front

A front that stays in one place, often leading to long periods of rain and potential flooding.

Geothermal energy

A reliable energy source coming from constant heat inside Earth that is not weather-dependent.

Ocean currents

Movements of water that affect the climate by warming or cooling nearby land and influencing weather patterns.

Hurricane formation

Storms that form over warm ocean water and require low pressure, moisture, and warm air.

Nuclear energy

An energy source that produces high amounts of energy with low emissions but creates radioactive waste.

Claim (CER)

A 1-2 sentence statement in the CER method often starting with ‘I think that…’ or ‘My claim is…’.

Evidence (CER)

A 3-5 sentence section using data or text evidence, often starting with ‘According to the data…’ or ‘The chart shows…’.

Reasoning (CER)

A 3-5 sentence section explaining why evidence matters based on scientific ideas.