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Calculating the de-trended CV from raw count data
The de-trended CV is calculated by first doing a linear regression and calculating the standard deviation of the residuals. This standard deviation is then divided by the mean of the counts. Steps 1 through 4 on this page show how a linear regression is done one example count data. Steps 5 and 6 show how the residuals are calculated, and Step 7 shows how the standard deviation and coefficient of variation are calculated.
Step 1: Determine mean year and mean count   Step 2: Subtract means from values (i.e. subtract mean year from each year value etc.)   Step 3: Square and multiply subtracted values from Step 2, and sum them Explanation of terms:
Year (x) Count (y)
1974 1.0
1975 4.0
1976 3.0
1977 3.5
1978 2.0
1979 4.0
1980 3.0
1981 2.0
mean mean
1977.5 2.8125
 
x - mean x y - mean y
-3.5 -1.8125
-2.5 1.1875
-1.5 0.1875
-0.5 0.6875
0.5 -0.8125
1.5 1.1875
2.5 0.1875
3.5 -0.8125
 
(x - mean x)² (x - mean x)*(y - mean y)
12.25 6.34375
6.25 -2.96875
2.25 -0.28125
0.25 -0.34375
0.25 -0.40625
2.25 1.78125
6.25 0.46875
12.25 -2.84375
SSx (sum of above) SPxy (sum of above)
42 1.75

SSx is the sum of the squares of the differences between each x (year) value and the mean of x (1977.5 in this case).

SSxy is the sum of the products of the differences between each x (year) value and the mean of x, AND each y (count) value and the mean of y.

Step 4: Determine the slope and y-intercept of the regression equation.
Slope SPxy divided by SSx 1.75 / 42 0.0416666666667
y-intercept mean count minus (slope*mean year) 2.8125 - (0.0416666666667 * 1977.5) -79.5833333334

Linear regression equation:   y = 0.0416666666667x + -79.5833333334

(where x is year and y is count)
Step 5: predicted y values (plug x's into regression equation)   Step 6: residuals (actual y - predicted y)  
predicted y value actual y value
2.66666666667 1.0
2.70833333333 4.0
2.75 3.0
2.79166666667 3.5
2.83333333333 2.0
2.875 4.0
2.91666666667 3.0
2.95833333333 2.0
 
Residuals
-1.66666666667
1.29166666667
0.250000000001
0.708333333334
-0.833333333333
1.125
0.083333333334
-0.958333333333
 
Step 7: Determine SD* (standard deviation) of the residuals, and CV (coefficient of variation)
SD of the residuals square root of (sum of squares divided by n-1) 7.89583333335 / 2.64575131106 1.06206223475
CV of the residuals SD of the residuals divided by count mean 1.06206223475 / 2.8125 0.377622127911

*Normally the SD is calculated by getting the mean of the values and subtracting each value from the mean, then squaring each of those differences, and summing them (then dividing by n-1, and taking the square root of the whole thing). But since residuals by definition add up to zero, it is not necessary to calculate the mean, which would also be zero, and subtract values from it.