Negative feedback is a stabilising mechanism acting to oppose changes to coastal morphology and establish equilibrium. A coastal environment in equilibrium is able to dissipate or reflect incoming energy without the occurrence of sediment input or output and change to morphology. For example; when a beach in equilibrium erodes during a storm it forms an offshore bar that in turn forces waves to break over it. By doing this the waves lose a lot of energy and dissipate before reaching the shoreline, significantly reducing further erosion. When the storm calms, the bar is then re-worked back on to the beach.