Abstract

Most aspects related to the horizontal component of the Geocentric Reference System for the Americas (SIRGAS) have been solved. However, in the case of the vertical component there are still aspects of definition, national realizations and continental unification still not accomplished. Chile is no exception; due to its particular geographic characteristics, a number of tide gauges (TG) had to be installed in the coast from which the leveling lines that compose the Chilean Vertical Network (CHVN) were established. This study explored the offsets of the CHVN by two different approaches; one geodetic and one oceanographic. In the first approach, the offsets were obtained in relation to the following Global Geopotential Models (GGM): the satellite-only model (unbiased) GO_CONS_gcf_2_tim_r3 derived from GOCE satellite mission; EGM2008 (combined-biased); and GOEGM08, combining information from the GO_CONS_gcf_2_tim_r3 in long wavelengths (n(max)similar to 200) with the mean/short wavelengths of EGM2008 (n>200). In the oceanographic method, we used the CNES CLS 2011 Global Mean Sea surface and EIGEN_GRACE_5C GGM to obtain the values of MDT at the different TG. We also evaluated the CHVN in relation to different GGMs. The results showed consistency between the values obtained by the two methods at the TG of Valparaiso and Puerto Chacabuco. In terms of the evaluation of the GGM, GOEGM08 produced the best results.