VOLUNTEERS HERE IN THE BAY AREA AND AROUND THE WORLD HAVE BEEN BUSY DOCUMENTING MILLIONS OF LIVING CREATURES. THIS IS PART OF A WORLDWIDE CHALLENGE. AS ABC SEVEN NEWS METEOROLOGIST DREW TUMA EXPLAINS, THEY'RE HELPING TO EXPAND THE WAY GLOBAL SCIENCE WORKS. THIS >> YOU CAN'T MISS THE DRAMATIC VIEW AT PILLAR POINT NEAR HALF MOON BAY, BUT LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER AND YOU JUST MIGHT DISCOVER A HIDDEN WORLD AT THIS LITTLE HERMIT CRAB RIGHT HERE, HERMIT CRABS ARE WHAT I LIKE TO CALL OPPORTUNI BOARS. THEY WILL EAT WHATEVER THEY CAN COME ACROSS THAT THEY CAN PICK UP WITH THEIR CLAW AND FIT IN THEIR MOUTH. >> ARMED WITH CELL PHONE CAMERAS, ALLISON YOUNG AND A TEAM FROM THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES JOINED A SMALL ARMY OF VOLUNTEERS IN WHAT'S NOW BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION. IT'S KNOWN AS THE CITY NATURE CHALLENGE, AND THE GOAL IS TO PHOTOGRAPH AND IDENTIFY AS MANY PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES AS POSSIBLE IN A MATTER OF DAYS. >> OH, I WANT TO TOUCH IT, BUT I WILL NOT. >> WE FOUND A BUNCH OF SEA STARS. ALWAYS FUN TO FIND THEM OUT IN THE MUSSEL BEDS. LITTLE SEA SLUGS, LOTS OF ANEMONES OUT THERE AS WELL. I THINK THAT'S A MOON GLOW ANEMONE. DIFFERENT SPECIES. >> THE EVENTS STARTED NEARLY A DECADE AGO AS A FRIENDLY COMPETITION BETWEEN SAN FRANCISCO AND LOS ANGELES. BUT BIODIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY SCIENCE COORDINATOR OLIVIA VAN DAMME SAYS IT'S NOW TAKEN OFF AROUND THE GLOBE FROM PHILIPPINES TO MADAGASCAR AND TO KAZAKHSTAN. >> AND IT'S JUST REALLY INCREDIBLE. WE'RE ACTUALLY HAVE PEOPLE ORGANIZING AND DOING THIS CHALLENGE IN ALL SEVEN CONTINENTS, INCLUDING ANTARCTICA . >> ORGANIZERS DESCRIBED THE MOVEMENT AS COMMUNITY SCIENCE VOLUNTEER PEERS USE A PLATFORM CALLED INATURALIST TO UPLOAD IMAGES OF THEIR SPECIMENS. RESEARCHER REBECCA JOHNSON SAYS THE MASSIVE DATA IS ALREADY MAKING AN IMPACT, AND THERE HAVE BEEN ABOUT 1.6 MILLION OBSERVATIONS AND THOSE DATA ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME. >> BUT THEN FOR SCIENTISTS TO ALSO OTHER SCIENTISTS TO UNDERSTAND THE DISTRIBUTION OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS ACROSS THE GLOBE, THE ACADEMY REGULARLY TRACKS ENDANGERED POPULATIONS LIKE THE SUNFLOWER, SEA STAR AND LOCAL KELP FORESTS, BOTH HIT BY RISING OCEAN TEMPERATURES. >> THE WORK IS OFTEN AS PAINSTAKING AS IT IS VITAL, BUT PERHAPS MADE EASIER IN THE FUTURE WITH THE HELP FROM A GROWING ARMY OF VOLUNTEERS. >> THIS BIG UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE PLANTS AND ANIMALS ARE FOUND COME FROM THE CITY NATURE
