Soil moisture content in surface layer exhibits large spatial and temporal variability. The purpose of this study was (a) to characterize the spatial and temporal variability of soil moisture in surface layer in an artificially re-vegetation desert area in Shapotou. (b) to make inferences regarding the environmental factors that affect this variability. During the experimental period of seven months (from April to October 2005), soil moisture content was measured using the time domain reflectometry about every half a month at a grid with 10m×10m intervals at a plot of 4500m2, the topography of the experimental area varying from dune crest to dune hollow, and again to dune crest. Results indicated that the distribution of soil moisture at grid scale was in normal distribution with a significant spatial variability; the variability of soil moisture decreased with decreasing mean soil moisture content as soil dried down following rain events. Relative elevation was a main driving factor of soil moisture variability especially after rainfall events, and its influence was more obvious in the depth of 0-30cm than in the depth of 0-15cm. The correlation between the vegetation and soil moisture content in time series was in consistent with that of the relative elevation and soil moisture content, which was strengthened by rain storm events, though the relationship between vegetation and soil moisture content was less obvious. There was an opposite time series pattern in correlation between soil texture (particle size distribution) and soil moisture content with that of the correlation between relative elevation and vegetation cover, and the relativity was higher in the depth of 0-15cm than in the depth of 0-30cm. We may concluded that local topography and vegetation cover were the main driving factors for surface soil moisture spatial variability in a short duration after the rain storm events, while the shallow soil texture exerted more influence on the surface soil moisture spatial variability as the soil dried following heavy rainfall events in this specific re-vegetated arid desert area.