单选题 Shortly after the Persian Gulf War, investigators reported that the area, which had been subjected to hundreds of smoky oil fires and deliberate oil spills when regular oil production slowed down during the war displayed less oil contamination than they had witnessed in prewar surveys of the same area. They also reported that the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)—used as a marker of combustion products spewed from oil wells ignited during the war—were also relatively low, comparable to those recorded in the temperate oil-producing areas of the Baltic Sea.
Which one of the following, if true, does most to resolve the apparent discrepancy in the information above?

A、 Oil contaminants have greater environmental effects in temperate regions than in desert regions.
B、 Oil contamination and PAH pollution dissipate more rapidly in temperate regions than in desert regions.
C、 Oil contamination and PAH pollution dissipate more rapidly in desert regions than in temperate regions.
D、 Peacetime oil production and transport in the Persian Gulf result in high levels of PAHs and massive oil dumping.
E、 (E) The Persian Gulf War ended before the oil fires and spills caused as much damage as originally expected.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 石油污染和PAHs水平由多种因素引起，一个地区不同时期的石油污染的起因可能不同，因此(D)选项所给出的差异原因能很好地解决调查报告中的明显分歧。(A)、(B)和(C)三选项都不能解释海湾地区战前战后石油污染程度的差异；(E)为无关选项。