In May, "sweating" corn exacerbates the extreme heat prevailing in the Midwest in the USA – where 55 million people are affected by warnings for high temperatures. The moisture that corn and other crops release at high temperatures, evapotranspiration, contributes to increased air humidity, making the heat feel more intense, reports The Guardian.
It is worth noting that two of the states where the heat wave is worst, Iowa and Illinois, account for a third of the USA's corn production. This contributes to the inhabitants feeling even warmer – at the same time as temperatures between 41 and 46 degrees are expected.
It is the plants that react to the warmer weather. Then they also need more moisture, so they take up more water from the soil and release it into the atmosphere, says Chris Clark, agronomist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to a local CBS channel.
A cornfield of approximately half a hectare can create up to 15,000 liters of "corn sweat", according to Clark.
Heat waves are becoming more frequent, longer, and hotter due to climate change, according to research.
