TY - JOUR A1 - Chubarenko, B. A1 - Domnin, D. A1 - Simon, Franz-Georg A1 - Scholz, Philipp A1 - Leitsin, V. A1 - Tovpinets, A. A1 - Karmanov, K. A1 - Esiukova, E. T1 - Change over Time in theMechanical Properties of Geosynthetics Used in Coastal Protection in the South-Eastern Baltic T2 - Journal of Marine Science and Engineering N2 - The most massive design on the Baltic shore used geosynthetic materials, the landslide protection construction in Svetlogorsk (1300 m long, 90,000 m2 area, South-Eastern Baltic, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russian Federation) comprises the geotextile and the erosion control geomat coating the open-air cliff slopes. Due to changes in elastic properties during long-term use in the open air, as well as due to its huge size, this structure can become a non-negligible source of microplastic pollution in the Baltic Sea. Weather conditions affected the functioning of the structure, so it was assessed that geosynthetic materials used in this outdoor (open-air) operation in coastal protection structures degraded over time. Samples taken at points with different ambient conditions (groundwater outlet; arid places; exposure to the direct sun; grass cover; under landslide) were tested on crystallinity and strain at break. Tests showed a 39–85% loss of elasticity of the polymer filaments after 3 years of use under natural conditions. Specimens exposed to sunlight are less elastic and more prone to fail, but not as much as samples taken from shaded areas in the grass and under the landslide, which were the most brittle. PB - MDPI CY - Basel KW - Geosynthetics KW - Microplastic KW - Degradation PY - 2023 UR - https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-bam/frontdoor/index/index/docId/56797 AN - OPUS4-56797 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-567978 UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/11/1/113 SN - 2077-1312 VL - 11 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 14 AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany