The number of E. coli bacteria cells in a pond of stagnant water can be represented by the function below, where A represents the number of E. coli bacteria cells per 100 mL of water and t represents the time, in years, that has elapsed.

A (t) = 136 (1.123) ^4t

Based on the model, by approximately what percent does the number of E. coli bacteria cells increase each year?

A.

60%

B.

59%

C.

41%

D.

40%