backstepping
nounEtymology From back + stepping.
1
A technique for designing stabilizing controls for a special recursive class of nonlinear dynamical systems.
2
Geography, Geology, Natural sciences A gradual backward movement of organisms or a sedimentary environment caused by changes in environmental factors.
- Once the sea level stabilized again, the same group of corals grew once more, but farther inshore and up to 10 feet higher in elevation, a process known to geologists as backstepping.2009 April 16, Andrew C. Revkin, “Coral Fossils Suggest That Sea Level Can Rise Rapidly”, in New York Times: