South Korea has experimented with artificial rainfall off its west coast to assess the technique’s efficiency in mitigating fine dust. 

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration(KMA), in the experiment jointly conducted with the Environment Ministry, silver iodide was spread in the air above the West Sea around 120 kilometers away from Gunsan in North Jeolla Province for about an hour from 10:13 a.m. on Friday. 

No rain or snow was detected in the areas where the chemical materials were expected to induce precipitation. Only a light drizzle was observed near Yeonggwang in South Jeolla Province. 

In order to achieve substantial mitigation of fine dust via rain, heavy rainfall of ten millimeters per hour or more is needed for at least two hours. 

An interim result of the experiment will be announced on Monday with the final result to be revealed one month later.