Estimates are made for received power due to partial reflection and turbulence scattering of VHF radar echoes from the clear atmosphere. We show that, under rather general conditions, partial reflections from stratified layers in the atmosphere can contribute significantly to the received echo power and therefore should be taken into account in data interpretation. Possible experimental techniques to investigate the partial reflection are discussed. Some results from tropospheric observations will be presented indicating high echo power from thin layers having a long correlation time.