Shifts in the high-resolution spatial distribution of dissolved N2O and the underlying microbial communities and processes in the Pearl River Estuary

•High-resolution, real-time measurement to characterize two-dimension dynamic of estuarine N2O.•High concentrations of N2O with spatial heterogeneity in horizontal and vertical directions.•Denitrification dominates N2O production with varied microorganisms in water and sediment.•Microbial N2O production processes were influenced by nutrients and hydrodynamics.•A conceptual model was constructed to generalize biochemical processes of estuarine N2O.