Dear Sara,

Patch Scale:

A "patch" is an initially relatively uniform portion of a habitat whose limits are defined by relatively abrupt changes in the abundance of common species (Paine and S.A. Levin, 1981), or by the physical phenomena contributing to patch formation and maintenance. This is the scale over which individual organisms interact with each other and with their immediate environment. Patches in the pelagic environment are three-dimensional and mobile, whether they consist of actively moving nekton (Hamner et al., 1983; Boudreau, 1992) or passively advected plankton (Haury et al., 1978; Fasham, 1978; Yoder et al., 1981). In pelagic systems, patches are found on almost every scale of observation (Owen, 1989; Powell and Okubo, 1994), and measures of patchiness seem to change continuously across scales (e.g., S.A. Levin et al., 1989). Defining and understanding characteristic patch sizes for plankton thus remain a focus of considerable interest, and although patchiness in the pelagic environment is less well-understood than in some benthic systems, new acoustic and imaging technologies are increasing the ability to measure patchiness. For intertidal and sublittoral benthic communities, distinct patches are much more evident and may impose a hierarchical organization to the system (Paine and S.A. Levin, 1981). In these systems, interindividual and interspecific interactions occur to a larger extent within patches, and processes such as dispersal, disturbance, and predation impose interpatch correlations (Sousa, 1985).

http://www.nap.edu/read/4923/chapter/4

Site Scale:

At each field site, NEON collects a standard suite of data that characterize soil, water, organisms and atmosphere based on the site’s terrestrial or aquatic focus. Data are collected using a combination of field sampling methods by field technicians, as well as sensor-derived and airborne remote methods at varying space and time scales. Standard data collection methods ensure comparability of patterns and processes across NEON sites and through time. When construction is complete, NEON will collect data at 47 terrestrial and 34 aquatic sites.

At terrestrial and some aquatic sites, NEON collects data that characterize plants.

Collection Methods at Aquatic Sites

Aquatic sites are located at streams, lakes and rivers within NEON domains. NEON collects a standard suite of data that characterize aquatic plants and other organisms, sediment and water quality using the following methods:

Aquatic Observations

NEON captures in situ data related to stream and lake morphology, as well as hydrologic and climatic conditions. The project samples key organisms (e.g., fish), macroinvertebrates and riparian phenology based on temperature, water flow and peak greenness. 

Collection Methods at Terrestrial Sites

At terrestrial sites, NEON collects data that characterize terrestrial plants, animals, soil and the atmosphere using the following methods:

Flux Tower Measurements

Located at all terrestrial sites, NEON equips tower systems with sensors that track fluxes of gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor, and collects data about physical and chemical climate conditions, such as temperature, barometric pressure and visible light or Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR). 

Soil Sensors and Measurements

Soil arrays and in situ samples provide estimates of soil moisture, soil organic carbon, root growth and phenology, temperature and heat flux. 

Terrestrial Organismal Sampling

At all terrestrial sites, NEON measures and observes animals, plants and microbes in situ and collects data such as species abundance and diversity, infectious diseases, population dynamics, plant chemistry and biomass.

http://www.neonscience.org/science-design/data-collection-methods

Hoping this will be helpful,

Rafik