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Short version: This sea dragon can discharge and manipulate electricity. It wants to cover a large area of the ocean's surface in fog, how could it accomplish this? The creature is intelligent and has help from other dragons, so outside means (Dumping stuff in the water, using environmental factors, ect.) are acceptable, though should involve electricity.

Long version: So, I'm developing a magic system for my book where semi aquatic dragons can discharge electricity like electric eels, and (for some hand wavium) can manipulate their discharges/pulses to some degree. Now, the big baddie, who is also one of these dragons, wants to cover a large area of the ocean in fog/mist/steam, including a large island. (Think Greenland, maybe smaller but that's another question altogether.) Why? well, since these dragons are basically highly efficient photovoltaic cells, (yes yes, I know, handwavium again, but technically possible(?),so its all cool.)they need lots of sunlight. She wants to limit their access to it so she can gain control. (And mind control all her kin via her amazing electrical powers, yikes!)(Also most of these dragons aren't capable of power flight, and are kinda built for swimming, so yeah, fog is not the best thing since sliced bread in their book.) Question is, how on earth would she accomplish this? She has access to loads of brainwashed dragon minions, and she is intelligent, so I'm open to her using other means besides just electricity to create enough condensation for a large amount of fog (I'm open to substitutes such as steam or smoke if necessary). Also, this doesn't have to be efficient or realistic power wise, though those qualities are certainly welcome, though I doubt they exist. It just has to be possible in some degree at least.

Also, I was thinking this would be a gradual process, so answers don't have to have immediate results.

PS: Forgot to mention they can store this electrical energy and use it later so she won't be stifling her own powers immediately.

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Quartz crystals.

This clever dragon discovered purely by accident one day when sunning on wet rocks, that a discharge released through those rocks makes them buzz and click along to the pulses, and with each pulse a little water is turned to mist.

This is called the reverse piezoelectric-effect, turning electricity into mechanical work in certain crystals like quartz. It's successfully marketed in the form of pond misters, sitting just below the surface, spewing large quantities of fine water droplets. There's a video of how to make one yourself (beware, they try to sell you things there).

Now covering itself in carefully selected crystal shards, it's able to lie just at the water's surface and generate at will as much mist as it cares to. Minions placed all around, up-wind of the intended target, all playing the same trick will soon put your enemies in a blind bewilderment.

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    $\begingroup$ Making a fog is reasonably easy. Any process that mechanicaly shreds the ocean water and dumps the microdroplets in the air will do, such at the piezo-crystal effect here. But having the fog stay intact, and not just evaporate into the air, requires a lot more work. It's like the fog & mist that naturally forms below a tall waterfall. Lovely mist, but it dissipates almost immediately, because the atmospheric conditions do not support sustaining the fog. Makign fog, yes. Over "large areas of the ocean" as the OP wants, no. not without million or billions of point-sources. Better make smoke $\endgroup$
    – PcMan
    Commented Apr 19, 2021 at 7:15
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    $\begingroup$ I concur, the right weather conditions to stop it immediately precipitating out would certainly help. Smoke, hmm. My old dad was a beekeeper at one point, I can just imagine dragon and minions smoking cardboard cigars to get the effect..... @PcMan $\endgroup$
    – Escaped dental patient.
    Commented Apr 19, 2021 at 7:22
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    $\begingroup$ One option for "smoke".. have your sea dragon blow its saltwater microspray into the air. Nice and high. The water evaporates, but the salt remains, as a microparticle haze. Not quite a fog, but maybe dense enough for obscuration? Or, you know, you could just have the Crusty Old Dragon be smoking a Crusty old dried-seaweed pipe. Your fog might have a wee bit of a Stank, but so what? $\endgroup$
    – PcMan
    Commented Apr 19, 2021 at 7:27
  • $\begingroup$ I'd like to note that this answer is a dragon using the properties of a gemstone. I'd set it up so that the dragon extracts the lightning from other dragons to have two energy reduction vectors (having not light and having you energy wasted) $\endgroup$
    – zoboso
    Commented Apr 19, 2021 at 13:34

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