  The triboelectric effect broadly includes any process in which force applied
at a boundary layer results in displacement of surface charge, leading to the
generation of an electrostatic potential. Wind blowing over granular surfaces,
such as snow, can induce a potential difference, with subsequent coronal
discharge. Nanosecond timescale discharges can lead to radio-frequency
emissions with characteristics similar to piezoelectric-induced discharges. For
Antarctic-sited experiments seeking detection of radio-frequency signals
generated by collisions of cosmic rays or neutrinos with atmospheric or
englacial molecular targets, triboelectric emissions from the surface pose a
potential background. This is particularly true for experiments in which radio
antennas are buried ~(1--100) m below the snow surface, and seeking to validate
neutrino detection strategies by measurement of down-coming radio-frequency
emissions from extensive air showers. Herein, after summarizing extant evidence
for wind-induced triboelectric effects previously reported elsewhere, we detail
additional analysis using archival data collected with the RICE and AURA
experiments at the South Pole. We broadly characterize those radio-frequency
emissions based on source location, and time-domain and also frequency-domain
characteristics. We find that: a) For wind velocities in excess of 10-12 m/s,
triboelectric background triggers can dominate data-taking, b) frequency
spectra for triboelectric events are generally shifted to the low-end of the
regime to which current radio experiments are typically sensitive (100-200
MHz), c) there is an apparent preference for tribo-electric discharges from
metal surface structures, consistent with a model in which localized,
above-surface structures provide a repository for transported charge.
