Main Topic: "Corn Sweat" Phenomenon Definition & Media Coverage "Corn sweat" is simply a catchy term for evapotranspiration Justin Glisan was interviewed by major news outlets (Washington Post, CNN, USA Today, CBS) The phenomenon was trending during the hottest week of July 2025 during a heat dome Scientific Reality Corn releases water vapor and oxygen through transpiration (not actually "sweating") Adds 3-5% to relative humidity locally (3-5 degrees to dew point) Peak evapotranspiration occurs during corn pollination/tasseling season Iowa has 13 million acres of corn contributing to this effect Comparative Analysis Prairie grasses actually have slightly higher evapotranspiration rates than corn Corn and soybeans have very similar ET rates during peak growth Historical prairie landscape would have different hydrology and soil structure Modeling is used to understand these complex comparisons since full-scale experiments aren't feasible Weather Forecasting History First tornado warning issued in 1940s by Miller and Fawbush at Air Force base WWII and 1946 weather radar development improved forecasting capabilities 1925 Tri-State tornado killed ~700 people despite warning signs, but no communication system existed Modern forecasting balances accuracy with avoiding "boy who cried wolf" scenario Social Media & Public Education Madelynn Wuestenberg urges people to stop sharing corn sweat TikToks Working on program to fact-check weather-related social media content Emphasizes need for agricultural meteorologists with both meteorology and agronomy backgrounds Summary generated by Claude.ai

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