What is 'corn sweat' and how does it exacerbate heat waves?

A phenomenon called "corn sweat" could exacerbate the impacts of the extreme heat blanketing a large portion of the United States, according to experts.

The process -- known by the scientific term "evapotranspiration" -- is the natural process by which plants move water from the roots of the plant to the surface, according to Ohio State University. The water then evaporates into the atmosphere, making the local region feel more humid.

"The term refers to the amount of moisture, the humidity that the plants take from the soil to cool off," Bruno Basso, a professor of sustainable agriculture and EEB core faculty member at Michigan State University, told ABC News.

All crops with a vascular system can experience evapotranspiration, but summer crops are the most common, Basso said.

"All of our plants are transpiring moisture to the atmosphere," Aaron Wilson, a weather-climate field specialist at Ohio State University and the state climatologist of Ohio, told ABC News.

However, corn is extremely efficient at moving moisture from the roots through the plants and the leaves, Wilson said. One acre of corn can put 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of water into the atmosphere per day, Basso said. The process is especially pervasive after a rainfall event.

"This is a positive thing for the crop" because it is able to cool off, Basso said.

The process also commonly occurs in soybean crops, Wilson said. There are about 90 million acres of corn, and about 80 million acres of soybeans planted in the Midwest each year.

"There's a good mix of both of those crops across the region," Wilson said.

Read the full story in ABC News.