Instead of using aircraft-borne chemicals as seeds, the researchers propose spraying seawater from unmanned, wind-powered, satellite-controlled vessels that would cruise the latitudes where hurricanes form since droplets of brine have a similar effect to dry ice and silver iodide.

ECONOMIST: Fiddling with clouds could help tame hurricanes

The rays can damage satellite electronics, and if current solar wind conditions persist, engineers would have to take this into account when deciding how to "harden" their spacecraft.

BBC: Solar wind blows at 50-year low

The study used satellite data to show that the building of huge wind farms in west Texas over the last decade has warmed the nights by up to 0.72C.

FORBES: Wind Farms Cause Global Warming!

"Constantly we are monitoring weather forecasts to keep in line with the sun, plotting our route, examining wind, wave and current predictions, communicating with other vessels on the satellite phone, updating our blog and logging our positions, " he said.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Like satellite dishes, they had to be aligned by expert technicians, and could be knocked off target by snowstorms or wind.

ECONOMIST: MONITOR