The most important and interesting concept for me in physical geography, which really ties the whole class together, is how atmospheric circulation controls the climate of every region, leading to the diverse range of landforms and lifeforms in each biome they have. Below is an image of the basic pattern of atmospheric circulation on Earth. Bear in mind that this image does not include the jet streams, which also play a large role in climate, but more-so on the immediate weather.
The image helps explain why the tropics are hot and wet, why all the hot deserts are roughly at the same latitude, the circulation of midlatitude cyclones, and the movement of polar air. What isn't shown is how the Coriolis Effect redirects air, depending on the hemisphere we are looking at. With this image, we can imagine how air masses move on average through any region. I appreciated learning how the vertical cells (Hadley, Ferrel, Polar) play just as important a role in climate as horizontal circulation.
The image helps shape the idea that the conditions that determine geography on Earth are far more intricate than might appear at first glance. The symmetry of the Earth system is a beauty to behold. Perhaps it is paradoxical then that Earth should have such a wide range of soils, biomes, climates, species, etc. For a geographer though, nothing could be more simple.
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