Effect of humidity on static electricity I am looking for a reference to a scientific paper or textbook that explains the effect of humidity on static electricity (triboelectric effect).
Any help will be highly appreciated.
 A: I was also curious about this topic when I read about it in class and wanted to know more about it. Unfortunately what I have found is that its pretty unlikely that there will be any general study on the effects of humidity on the triboelectric effect because for one, the effect is not very well known or for that matter relevant (though its effects on a nano scale do seem to be of some interest). 
That being said Wikipedia does give the following statement on it:-

Electrostatic discharge may not be evident in humid climates because
  surface condensation normally prevents triboelectric charging, while
  increased humidity increases the electrical conductivity of the air.

The above statement makes sense in light of the rest of the information about triboelectric effect. 
Though triboelectric effect is named after the word tribo (greek for rubbing) the two surfaces only need to come in contact for the effect to take place. The presence of water in humid climates creates a kind of barrier between them and prevents the charging process and in effect, stops the triboelectric effect from taking place.
Other than that, there are a number of specific studies that you can find in the following links:-
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0304388688900216
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211285513001389
