The spatiotemporal variation in soil erosion means the soil erosion properties show the significant differentiation and diversity at different scales of time and space. Actually, the spatiotemporal variation in soil erosion is related to the joint influences of several environmental factors at multiple scales including vegetation, land use, meteorological factors (e.g. rainfall), topography and soil. However, the key scale and dominant factors are different for the different time, space and scale. This paper reviewed the studies on the spatiotemporal variation in soil erosion and its relation to the environmental factors. The specific attention was given to the studies on the Loess Plateau, China.