diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md index a4b9a98..2bdb274 100644 --- a/CHANGES.md +++ b/CHANGES.md @@ -1,5 +1,36 @@ ## Change log +### Version 1.0.6 + +#### Major bug fix - p_overall_trend + +For smooth models, the degrees of freedom used in the likelihood ratio test of +an overall temporal trend are now correct. Previously, they were too small (by +one) resulting in values of `p_overall_trend` that were too significant. +Fortunately, this had no effect on model selection as the chosen model is +based on AICc or AIC (depending on the distribution of the response) and the +p-values are calculated after the model is chosen. + +The statistical interpretation of smooth models in `report_assessment` is now +more nuanced. Smooth models chosen by AIC or AICc are not necessarily significant +at the conventional 5% level. The significance of the final model is given by +`p_overall_trend` which is based on a likelihood ratio test that compares the +smooth model and the mean model (and essentially tests for any evidence of a +change in concentrations over time). This degree of significance is now +characterised as weak (p >= 0.05), moderate (0.05 < p <= 0.01) and strong (p < +0.01). In theory, a smooth model chosen by AICc could have a +`p_overall_trend` as high as 0.135, but this can only happen when there are many +years of data and the improvement in AICc between the smooth model and the mean +model is marginal. + +Note that, for smooth models, the significance of the overall trend can be split +into the significance of the nonlinear component (`p_nonlinear_trend` based on a +likelihood ratio test that compares the smooth model with the linear model) and +the linear component (`p_linear_trend` based on a likelihood ratio test that +compares the linear model with the mean model). Both these p-values were +calculated correctly in previous releases. + + ### Version 1.0.5 This release is used to run the OSPAR 2026 assessment.