**4.3 Comparison of bay responses**

It is important to note the diversity of storm responses along the shoreline of the Saco and Casco Bays. Saco Bay was greatly impacted by storm currents extending from the open boundary, resulting in a far more sensitive system. Surface currents during flood tides were heavily dominated by storm currents to result in a reversed flow nearshore, while during ebb tide discharges from the Saco River and Nonesuch River were strong enough to fend off part of the storm currents from the northeast. In contrast, Casco Bay remained largely controlled by normal tidal signals and river discharge rates, except for Portland Harbor, which saw more dramatic responses to storm-induced alterations to the Presumpscot River and Fore River plumes. In northern Casco Bay, the New Meadows estuary experienced minor increases in mixing and a slightly extended reach of the river plume, reducing the incoming reach of tides during peak storm winds. As for deeper waters in each bay, results were as expected; Casco Bay's barrier islands protected it from most open-water storm currents, allowing for tidal currents to remain dominant. In the following section, it will be shown how sensitivity of the bays to these storm currents played a significant role in determining the effects of SLR experienced by each bay.
