The (un-)controlled application of olive oil mill wastewater (OMW) has positive and negative effects on soil quality. On the one hand it can be used as fertilizer, on the other hand especially the occurrence of soil water repellency is problematic. Due to this fact the objective of this study was to characterize the effects of OMW application on soil and to investigate the mechanisms that are in combination with changes of soil organic matter quality responsible for soil water repellency depending on the climatic conditions. At first several locations of uncontrolled OMW disposal were screened for positive and negative im-pacts. Then, laboratory incubation experiments and finally a field experiment in Israel were conducted in order to determine the influence of climatic conditions. Besides standard soil parameters (pH, elec-tric conductivity, total carbon, dissolved organic carbon , specific UV-Absorption) it was focused on the determination of phenolic compounds, the carbon isotope ratio, the water drop penetration time and the contact angle as well as the thermal analysis. This thesis shows that soil water repellency of OMW-polluted soils depends on the climatic conditions, i.e. the application season. In the laboratory as well as in the field the wettability of the soil was strongly reduced under hot and dry conditions. It was observed, that the stable carbon fraction characterized by a high calorific value is responsible for soil water repellency. In particular, amphiphilic substances, e.g. fatty acids, may interact with soil particles as a consequence of drying. On the contrary, no reduc-tion of the wettability of the soil was determined under moist conditions and degradation of organic matter of the OMW was enhanced. Nevertheless, too strong irrigation or rainfall, e.g. in winter, may leach phenolic ingredients of the OMW into the groundwater. At the same time the application led to an increase of organic and inorganic nutrients, which should be emphasized as a positive effect. Due to these results, a controlled application of olive oil mill wastewater as alternative, low-cost and sustainable treatment option is recommended. But, instead of the current application season winter, the olive mill wastewater should be stored and not be spread before spring in order to avoid negative impacts on the soil.