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 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