Selected Publications

Achebak H, Garatachea R, Pay MT, Jorba O, Guevara M, Pérez García-Pando C*, Ballester J*.
Mortality burden due to transported transboundary ozone in Europe: a health impact assessment.
Nature Medicine, in press (2024).

Granés L, Essers E, Ballester J, Petricola S, Tiemeier H, Íñiguez C, Soriano-Mas C, Guxens M.
Cold and heat exposure in early life and white matter microstructure in preadolescents.
Nature Climate Change, in press (2024).

van Daalen KR, Tonne C, Semenza JC, Rocklöv J, Markandya A, Dasandi N, Jankin S, Achebak H, Ballester J, Bechara H, Beck TM, Callaghan MW, Carvalho BM, Chambers J, Pradas MC, Courtenay O, Dasgupta S, Eckelman M, Farooq Z, Fransson P, Gallo E, Gasparyan O, Gonzalez-Reviriego N, Hamilton I, Hänninen R, Hatfield C, He K, Kazmierczak A, Kendrovski V, Kennard H, Kiesewetter G, Kouznetsov R, Kritt HK, Llabrés-Brustenga A, Lloyd S, Lotto Batista M, Maia C, Martinez-Urtaza J, Mi Z, Milà C, Minx JC, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Palamarchuk J, Kalatzi Pantera D, Quijal-Zamorano M, Rafaj P, Robinson EJZ, Sánchez-Valdivia N, Scamman D, Schmoll O, Odhiambo Sewe M, Sherman J, Singh P, Sirotkina E, Sjödin H, Sofiev M, Solaraju-Murali B, Springmann M, Treskova M, Triñanes J, Vanuytrecht E, Wagner F, Walawender M, Warnecke L, Zhang R, Romanello M, Antò JM, Nilsson M, Lowe R.
The 2024 Europe Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: unprecedented warming demands unprecedented action.
The Lancet Public Health, in press (2024).

Quijal-Zamorano M, Martinez-Beneito MA, Ballester J, Marí-Dell’Olmo M.
Spatial Bayesian Distributed Lag Non-linear Models for estimating small-area associations between environmental exposures and health outcomes.
International Journal of Epidemiology, in press (2024).

Chen ZY, Petetin H, Méndez Turrubiates RF, Achebak H, Pérez García-Pando C, Ballester J.
Population exposure to multiple air pollutants and its compound episodes in Europe.
Nature Communications 15, 2094 (2024).

Ballester J, van Daalen KR, Chen ZY, Achebak H, Antó JM, Basagaña X, Robine JM, Herrmann FR, Tonne C, Semenza JC, Lowe R.
    The effect of temporal data aggregation to assess the impact of changing temperatures in Europe: an epidemiological modelling study.
    The Lancet Regional Health - Europe 36, 100779 (2024).
       --- Highlighted in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe ---

Achebak H, Garcia-Aymerich J, Rey G, Chen Z, Méndez-Turrubiates RF, Ballester J.
Ambient temperature and seasonal variation in inpatient mortality from respiratory diseases: a retrospective observational study.
The Lancet Regional Health - Europe 35, 100757 (2023).

Ballester J, Quijal-Zamorano M, Méndez Turrubiates RF, Pegenaute F, Herrmann FR, Robine JM, Basagaña X, Tonne C, Antó JM, Achebak H.
    Heat-related mortality in Europe during the summer of 2022.
    Nature Medicine 29, 1857-1866 (2023).
       --- Focus issue in Nature Medicine ---
       --- Top 3 of climate papers in 2023 for news and social media attention (CarbonBrief) ---

Ranzani O, Alari A, Olmos S, Milà C, Rico A, Ballester J, Basagaña X, Chaccour C, Dadvand P, Duarte-Salles T, Foraster M, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Sunyer J, Valentín A, Kogevinas M, Lazcano U, Avellaneda-Gómez C, Vivanco R, Tonne C.
Long-term exposure to air pollution and severe COVID-19 in Catalonia: a population-based cohort study.
Nature Communications 14, 2916 (2023).

Lévy L, Robine JM, Rey G, Méndez Turrubiates RF, Quijal-Zamorano M, Achebak H, Ballester J, Rodó X, Herrmann FR.
Daylight saving time affects European mortality patterns.
Nature Communications 13, 6906 (2022).

van Daalen KR, Romanello M, Rocklöv J, Semenza JC, Tonne C, Markandya A, Dasandi N, Jankin S, Achebak H, Ballester J, Bechara H, Callaghan MW, Chambers J, Dasgupta S, Drummond P, Farooq Z, Gasparyan O, Gonzalez-Reviriego N, Hamilton I, Hänninen R, Kazmierczak A, Kendrovski V, Kennard H, Kiesewetter G, Lloyd SJ, Lotto Batista M, Martinez-Urtaza J, Milà C, Minx JC, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Palamarchuk J, Quijal-Zamorano M, Robinson EJZ, Scamman D, Schmoll O, Odhiambo Sewe M, Sjödin H, Sofiev M, Solaraju-Murali B, Springmann M, Triñanes J, Anto JM, Nilsson M, Lowe R.
The 2022 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: towards a climate resilient future.
The Lancet Public Health 7, e942-e965 (2022).

Quijal-Zamorano M, Martínez-Solanas È, Achebak H, Petrova D, Robine JM, Herrmann FR, Rodó X, Ballester J.
Seasonality reversal of temperature attributable mortality projections due to present-day unobserved extreme heat in Europe.
The Lancet Planetary Health 5, e573-e575 (2021).

Martínez-Solanas È*, Quijal-Zamorano M*, Achebak H, Petrova D, Robine JM, Herrmann FR, Rodó X, Ballester J.
Projections of temperature-attributable mortality in Europe: a time series analysis of 147 contiguous regions in 16 countries.
The Lancet Planetary Health 5, e446-e454 (2021).

Achebak H, Petetin H, Quijal-Zamorano M, Bowdalo D, Pérez García-Pando C, Ballester J.
Reduction in air pollution and attributable mortality due to COVID-19 lockdown.
The Lancet Planetary Health 4, e268 (2020).

Achebak H, Devolder D, Ingole V, Ballester J.
Reversal of the seasonality of temperature-attributable mortality from respiratory diseases in Spain.
Nature Communications 11, 2457 (2020).

Achebak H, Devolder D, Ballester J.
    Trends in temperature-related age-specific and sex-specific mortality from cardiovascular diseases in Spain: a national time-series analysis.
    The Lancet Planetary Health 3, e297-e306 (2019).
       --- Highlighted in the Issue Cover ---

Ballester J, Robine JM, Herrmann FR, Rodó X.
    Effect of the Great Recession on regional mortality trends in Europe.
    Nature Communications 19, 679 (2019).
       --- Highlighted in Nature Research Behavioural & Social Sciences Community ---

Achebak H, Devolder D, Ballester J.
Heat-related mortality trends under recent climate warming in Spain: a 36-year observational study.
PLOS Medicine 15, e1002617 (2018).

Ballester J, Petrova D, Bordoni S, Cash B, García-Díez M, Rodó X.
Sensitivity of El Niño intensity and timing to preceding subsurface heat magnitude.
Scientific Reports 6, 36344 (2016).

Ballester J, Rodó X, Robine JM, Herrmann FR.
    European seasonal mortality and influenza incidence due to winter temperature variability.
    Nature Climate Change 6, 927-930 (2016).
       --- Highlighted in the Issue Cover ---

Rodó X, Curcoll R, Robinson M, Ballester J, Burns JC, Cayan DR, Lipkin WI, Williams BL, Couto-Rodriguez M, Nakamura Y, Uehara R, Tanimoto H, Morguí JA.
    Tropospheric winds from northeastern China carry the etiologic agent of Kawasaki disease from its source to Japan.
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111, 7952-7957 (2014).
       --- News feature in Nature and Science ---

Cash B, Rodó X, Ballester J, Bouma M, Baeza A, Dhiman R, Pascual M.
Malaria epidemics and the influence of the Tropical South Atlantic on the Indian monsoons.
Nature Climate Change 3, 502-507 (2013).

Rodó X*, Ballester J*, Cayan D, Melish ME, Nakamura Y, Uehara R, Burns JC.
    Association of Kawasaki disease with tropospheric wind patterns.
    Scientific Reports 1, 152 (2011).
       --- News feature in Nature ---

Ballester J, Robine JM, Herrmann FR, Rodó X.
Long-term projections and acclimatization scenarios of temperature-related mortality in Europe.
Nature Communications 2, 358 (2011).

* These authors contributed equally to this work

Publications

Essers E, Granés L, Delaney S, Ballester J, Santos S, Petricola S, Yang TC, Fernández-Somoano A, Bereziartua A, Ballester F, Tardón A, Vrijheid M, Lertxundi A, McEachan R, El Marroun H, Tiemeier H, Iñiguez C, Guxens M.
Ambient Air Temperature Exposure and Foetal Size and Growth in Three European Birth Cohorts.
Environment International, in press (2024).

Chevance G, Minor K, Vielma C, Campi E, O’Callaghan-Gordo C, Basagaña X, Ballester J, Bernard P.
A systematic review of ambient heat and sleep in a warming climate.
Sleep Medicine Reviews, doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2024.101915 (2024).

Achebak H, Rey G, Lloyd SJ, Quijal-Zamorano M, Méndez-Turrubiates RF, Ballester J.
Ambient temperature and risk of cardiovascular and respiratory adverse health outcomes: a nationwide cross-sectional study from Spain.
European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwae021 (2024).

Lloyd SJ, Striessnig E, Achebak H, Hajat S, Muttarak R, Quijal-Zamorano M, Rizzi S, Vielma C, Ballester J.
Remeasuring the influence of ageing on heat-related mortality in Spain, 1980 to 2018.
Environmental Research 248, 118408 (2024).

Alari A, Ranzani O, Olmos S, Milà C, Rico Á, Ballester J, Basagaña X, Dadvand P, Duarte-Salles T, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Vivanco-Hidalgo RM, Tonne C.
Short-term exposure to air pollution and hospital admission after COVID-19 in Catalonia: the COVAIR-CAT study.
International Journal of Epidemiology 53, dyae041 (2024).

Chen ZY, Méndez Turrubiates RF, Petetin H, Lacima A, Pérez García-Pando C, Ballester J.
Estimation of pan-European, daily total, fine-mode and coarse-mode Aerosol Optical Depth at 0.1° resolution to facilitate air quality assessments.
Science of The Total Environment 918, 170593 (2024).

Janoš T, Ballester J, Čupr P, Achebak H.
Countrywide analysis of heat- and cold-related mortality trends in the Czech Republic: growing inequalities under recent climate warming.
International Journal of Epidemiology 53, dyad141 (2024).

Sousa-Pinto B, Palamarchuk Y, Leemann L, Jankin S, Basagaña X, Ballester J, Bedbrook A, Czarlewski W, Almeida R, Haahtela T, Haveri H, Prass M, Henriques T, Vieira R, Klimek L, Ollert M, Shamji MH, Jutel M, del Giacco S, Torres MJ, Zuberbier T, Fonseca JA, Sofiev M, Antó JM, Bousquet J.
From MASK-air® and SILAM to CATALYSE (Climate Action to Advance HeaLthY Societies in Europe).
Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology 34, 12-19 (2024).

Achebak H, Rey G, Lloyd SJ, Quijal-Zamorano M, Méndez-Turrubiates RF, Ballester J.
Drivers of the time-varying heat-cold-mortality association in Spain: A longitudinal observational study.
Environment International 182, 108284 (2023).

Milà C, Ballester J, Basagaña X, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ, Tonne C.
Estimating daily air temperature and pollution in Catalonia: A comprehensive spatiotemporal modelling of multiple exposures.
Environmental Pollution 337, 122501 (2023).

Lloyd SJ, Quijal-Zamorano M, Achebak H, Hajat S, Muttarak R, Striessnig E, Ballester J.
The Direct and Indirect Influences of Interrelated Regional-Level Sociodemographic Factors on Heat-Attributable Mortality in Europe: Insights for Adaptation Strategies.
Environmental Health Perspectives 131, 087013 (2023).

Konstantinoudis G, Minelli C, Yu Lam HC, Fuertes E, Ballester J, Davies B, Vicedo-Cabrera AM, Gasparrini A, Blangiardo M.
Asthma hospitalisations and heat exposure in England: A case-crossover study during 2002-2019.
Thorax, 78, 875-881 (2023).

Lacima A, Petetin H, Soret A, Bowdalo D, Jorba O, Chen Z, Méndez Turrubiates RF, Achebak H, Ballester J, Pérez García-Pando C.
Long-term evaluation of surface air pollution in CAMSRA and MERRA-2 global reanalyses over Europe (2003–2020).
Geoscientific Model Development 16, 2689-2718 (2023).

Chevance G, Fresán U, Hekler E, Edmondson D, Lloyd SJ, Ballester J, Litt J, Cvijanovic I, Araujo-Soares V, Bernard P.
Thinking health-related behaviors in a climate change context: a narrative review.
Annals of Behavioral Medicine 57, 193-204 (2023).

Ellena M, Ballester J, Costa G, Achebak H.
Evolution of temperature-attributable mortality trends looking at social inequalities: An observational case study of urban maladaptation to cold and heat.
Environmental Research 214, 114082 (2022).

Konstantinoudis G, Minelli C, Vicedo-Cabrera AM, Ballester J, Gasparrini A, Blangiardo M.
Ambient heat exposure and COPD hospitalisations in England: a nationwide case-crossover study during 2007-2018.
Thorax 77, 1098-1104 (2022).

Ingole V, Dimitrova A, Sampedro J, Sacoor C, Acacio S, Juvekar S, Roy S, Basagaña X, Ballester J, Antó JM, Tonne C.
Local mortality impacts due to future air pollution under climate change scenarios.
Science of the Total Environment 823, 153832 (2022).

Aboubakri O, Ballester J, Shoraka HR, Karamoozian A, Golchini E.
Ambient temperature and Covid-19 transmission: An evidence from a region of Iran based on weather station and satellite data.
Environmental Research 209, 112887 (2022).

Shoraka HR, Aboubakri O, Ballester J, Sharafkhani R.
Heat and cold-related morbidity risk in north-east of Iran: a time-stratified case crossover design.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research 29, 2664-2671 (2022).

Petropoulos ZE, Ramirez-Rubio O, Scammell MK, Laws RL, Lopez-Pilarte D, Amador JJ, Ballester J, O’Callaghan-Gordo C, Brooks DR.
Climate Trends at a Hotspot of Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Causes in Nicaragua, 1973-2014.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, 5418 (2021).

Achebak H, Petetin H, Quijal-Zamorano M, Bowdalo D, Pérez García-Pando C, Ballester J.
Trade-offs between short-term mortality attributable to NO2 and O3 changes during the COVID-19 lockdown across major Spanish cities.
Environmental Pollution 286, 117220 (2021).

Ho JY, Zijlema WL, Triguero-Mas M, Donaire-Gonzalez D, Valentín A, Ballester J, Chan EYY, Goggins WB, Mo PKH, Kruize H, van den Berg M, Grazuleviciene R, Gidlow CJ, Jerrett M, Seto EYW, Barrera-Gómez J, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ.
Does surrounding greenness moderate the relationship between apparent temperature and physical activity? Findings from the PHENOTYPE project.
Environmental Research 197, 110992 (2021).

Gilabert J, Deluca A, Lauwaet D, Ballester J, Corbera J, Llasat MC.
Assessing heat exposure to extreme temperatures in urban areas using the Local Climate Zones classification.
Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 21, 375-391 (2021).

Dimitrova A, Ingole V, Basagaña X, Ranzani O, Milà C, Ballester J, Tonne C.
Association between ambient temperature and heatwaves with mortality in South Asia: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Environment International 146, 106170 (2021).

Petrova D, Rodó X, Sippy R, Ballester J, Mejía R, Beltrán‐Ayala E, Borbor‐Cordova MJ, Vallejo GM, Olmedo AJ, Stewart‐Ibarra AM, Lowe R.
The 2018–2019 weak El Niño: Predicting the risk of a dengue outbreak in Machala, Ecuador.
International Journal of Climatology 41, 3813-3823 (2021).

Ellena M, Ballester J, Mercogliano P, Ferracin E, Barbato G, Costa G, Ingole V.
Social Inequalities in Heat-attributable Mortality in the City of Turin, Northwest of Italy: A Time Series Analysis From 1982 to 2018.
Environmental Health 19, 116 (2020).

Grist H, Ballester J, de Jong F, Langehaug HR, Olsen SM, Swingedouw D.
Decadal Predictions to Climate Services: How Understanding Climate Change in the Arctic can Support Climate Adaptation Decision-Making across the Northern Hemisphere.
In Arctic Yearbook 2020, (eds.) Heininen L, Exner-Pirot H, Akureyri BJ. Arctic Portal, Iceland (2020).

Achebak H, Devolder D, Ingole V, Ballester J.
Reversal of the seasonality of temperature-attributable mortality from respiratory diseases in Spain.
Nature Communications 11, 2457 (2020).

Ingole V, Marí-Dell’Olmo M, Deluca A, Quijal M, Borrell C, Rodríguez-Sanz M, Achebak H, Lauwaet D, Gilabert J, Murage P, Hajat S, Basagaña X, Ballester J
Spatial Variability of Heat-Related Mortality in Barcelona from 1992-2015: A Case Crossover Study Design.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, 2553 (2020).

Petrova D, Ballester J, Koopman SJ, Rodó X.
Multi-year statistical prediction of ENSO enhanced by the Tropical Pacific Observing System.
Journal of Climate 33, 163-174 (2020).

Mueller N, Rojas-Rueda D, Khreis H, Cirach M, Andrés D, Ballester J, Bartoll X, Daher C, Deluca A, Echave C, Milà C, Márquez S, Palou J, Pérez K, Tonne C, Stevenson M, Rueda S, Nieuwenhuijsen M.
Changing the urban design of cities for health: The superblock model.
Environment International 134, 105132 (2020).

Ballester J, Borràs S, Curcoll R, Navarro-Gallinad A, Pozdniakova S, Cañas L, Burns JC, Rodó X.
On the interpretation of the atmospheric mechanism transporting the environmental trigger of Kawasaki Disease.
PLOS ONE 14, e0226402 (2019).

Ballester J.
Will climate change worsen your health?
Climanosco Research Articles 2, doi:10.37207/CRA.2.3 (2019).

Petrova D, Lowe R, Stewart-Ibarra A, Ballester J, Koopman SJ, Rodó X.
Sensitivity of large dengue epidemics in Ecuador to long-lead predictions of El Niño.
Climate Services 15, 100096 (2019).

Achebak H, Devolder D, Ballester J.
Heat-related mortality trends under recent climate warming in Spain: a 36-year observational study.
PLOS Medicine 15, e1002617 (2018).

Ballester J, Petrova D, Bordoni S, Cash B, Rodó X.
Timing of subsurface heat magnitude for the growth of El Niño events.
Geophysical Research Letters 44, 8501-8509 (2017).

Petrova D, Koopman SJ, Ballester J, Rodó X.
Improving the long-lead predictability of El Niño using a novel forecasting scheme based on a dynamic components model.
Climate Dynamics 48, 1249-1276 (2017).

García-Díez M, Lauwater D, Hooybergh H, Ballester J, De Ridder K, Rodó X.
Advantages of using a fast urban boundary layer model as compared to a full mesoscale model to simulate the urban heat island of Barcelona.
Geoscientific Model Development 9, 4439-4450 (2016).

Ballester J, Petrova D, Bordoni S, Cash B, García-Díez M, Rodó X.
Sensitivity of El Niño intensity and timing to preceding subsurface heat magnitude.
Scientific Reports 6, 36344 (2016).

Grossi C, Ballester J, Serrano I, Galmarini S, Camacho A, Curcoll R, Morguí JA, Rodó X, Duch MA.
Influence of long-range atmospheric transport pathways and climate teleconnection patterns on the variability of surface 210Pb and 7Be concentrations in southwestern Europe.
Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 165, 103-114 (2016).

Rodó X, Ballester J, Curcoll R, Boyard-Micheau J, Borràs S, Morguí JA.
Revisiting the role of environmental and climate factors on the epidemiology of Kawasaki disease.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1382, 84-98 (2016).

Ballester J, Bordoni S, Petrova D, Rodó X.
El Niño dynamics and long lead climate forecasts.
Climanosco Research Articles 1, doi:10.37207/CRA.1.2 (2016).

Ballester J*, Lowe R*, Diggle P, Rodó X.
Seasonal forecasting and health impact models: challenges and opportunities.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1382, 8-20 (2016).

Ballester J, Bordoni S, Petrova D, Rodó X.
Heat advection processes leading to El Niño events as depicted by an ensemble of ocean assimilation products.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 121, 3710-3729 (2016).

Lowe R, García Díez M, Ballester J, Creswick J, Robine JM, Herrmann FR, Rodó X.
Evaluation of an Early-Warning System for Heat Wave-Related Mortality in Europe: Implications for Sub-seasonal to Seasonal Forecasting and Climate Services.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 13, 206 (2016).

Ballester J, Bordoni S, Petrova D, Rodó X.
On the dynamical mechanisms explaining the western Pacific subsurface temperature buildup leading to ENSO events.
Geophysical Research Letters 42, 2961-2967 (2015).

Lowe R, Ballester J, Creswick J, Robine JM, Herrmann FR, Rodó X.
Evaluating the performance of a climate-driven mortality model during heat waves and cold spells in Europe.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 12, 1279-1294 (2015).

Ballester J, Burns JC, Cayan D, Nakamura Y, Uehara R, Rodó X.
Kawasaki disease and ENSO-driven wind circulation.
Geophysical Research Letters 40, 2284-2289 (2013).

Ostro B, Barrera-Gómez J, Ballester J, Basagaña X, Sunyer J.
The impact of future summer temperature on public health in Barcelona and Catalonia, Spain.
International Journal of Biometeorology 56, 1135-1144 (2012).

Ballester J, Robine JM, Herrmann FR, Rodó X.
Long-term projections and acclimatization scenarios of temperature-related mortality in Europe.
Nature Communications 2, 358 (2011).

Ballester J, Rodríguez-Arias MA, Rodó X.
A new extratropical tracer describing the role of the western Pacific in the onset of El Niño: Implications for ENSO understanding and forecasting.
Journal of Climate 24, 1425-1437 (2011).

Ballester J, Rodó X, Giorgi F.
Future changes in Central Europe heat waves expected to mostly follow summer mean warming.
Climate Dynamics 35, 1191-1205 (2010).

Ballester J, Giorgi F, Rodó X.
Changes in European temperature extremes can be predicted from changes in PDF central statistics.
Climatic Change - Letters 98, 277-284 (2010).

Ballester J, Douville H, Chauvin F.
Present-day climatology and projected changes of warm and cold days in the CNRM-CM3 global climate model.
Climate Dynamics 32, 1432-0894 (2009).

Ballester J, Moré J.
The representativeness problem of a station net applied to the verification of a precipitation forecast based on areas.
Meteorological Applications 14, 177-184 (2007).

Rodó X, Rodríguez-Arias MA, Ballester J.
The role of ENSO in fostering teleconnection patterns between the tropical north Atlantic and the western Mediterranean Basin.
CLIVAR Exchanges 11, 26-27 (2006).

* These authors contributed equally to this work

Joan Ballester Claramunt

Associate Research Professor

Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)

Selected Publications

Publications